Nikenbah and Dundowran Land Use and Infrastructure Planning Investigation

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Nikenbah and Dundowran Structure Plan – Project Update (9 October 2025)

Fraser Coast Regional Council is continuing to plan for the future of Nikenbah and Dundowran through land use and infrastructure planning. Feedback received throughout August and September 2025 has helped shape the Working Draft Structure Plan.

Category : Project Update - 9 October 2025

Created On : 09 October 2025

Project Overview

Fraser Coast Regional Council is planning for the future of Nikenbah and Dundowran.

The Fraser Coast has been growing rapidly over the past five years, creating pressure for more homes, jobs and services. The Nikenbah and Dundowran areas have been identified as important locations for the Fraser Coast's long term growth.

Please see the below map for the area being investigated

We’re developing a long-term plan to guide the strategic growth potential of these areas. This includes looking at where homes, parks, roads, schools, shops and services might go – and making sure development is well planned and supported by the right infrastructure. Our goal is to ensure new development is:

carefully planned and sustainable;
supported by cost-effective infrastructure (like roads, water, and sewerage);
designed with a mix of housing options, including affordable homes;
linked to local job opportunities and businesses;
well serviced by schools and education facilities;
home to shops, community centres, and other services;
built around walkable, easy-to-navigate neighbourhoods;
green and liveable, with parks,open spaces, and tree-lined streets;
inclusive and welcoming for all;
respectful of our local environment and cultural heritage.

This project will also help Council identify important areas to protect – like waterways and green spaces – and to set aside land for future infrastructure. Council is also working closely with Queensland Government departments to ensure the plan meets both local and state priorities. The outcomes of this project will inform future updates to the Fraser Coast Planning Scheme, the document that guides what can be built where.

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Feedback and Ideas - We’d love to hear your feedback and ideas about the project. Use the button below to join the conversation—once our moderators have approved your post, we’ll email you to let you know it’s live.

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Jenwin

Comment below Be good to see conjoining nature corridors between subdivision to create walking pathways and routs that animals can escape built up areas. Unfortunately unfortunately Councils short sightedness in current subdivisions closer to cbd gas seen significant numbers of wildlife killed in new residential areas due to lack if signage warning motorists ie. Boundary Rd)

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Christys lane

Comment below State Government protected pink zone - protected trees / bushland on top of Maggs hill to be kept protected

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Christys lane

Comment below There should be a bike track and a walkway with a lookout built on top of the ridgeline on Maggs hill

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Christys lane

Comment below heritage list large old pine tree and offspring on top of Maggs hill as it is a local landmark from both the land and the sea

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Christys lane

Comment below twice daily bus run for nikenbah for people without a car

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Christys lane

Comment below public school for nikenbah

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Christys lane

Comment below cater for first home buyers and down sizers by building two bedroom homes within housing developments. not everybody can afford four bedroom houses with a media room.

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JudyB

Comment below Shopping Centres and relevant infrastructure eg roads as there is only 1 road into Hervey Bay from Maryborough.

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Johnny Boy

Comment below Before any expansion of developments within the Hervey Bay area are considered, due consideration should and must be given to its effects on the City of Maryborough. Currently there is no bypass road for Maryborough and the majority of construction traffic for Hervey Bay's ongoing expansion, which comes from the south up the Bruce Highway, travels through the middle of Maryborough. Maryborough streets are congested every day with construction traffic passing through it's streets to Hervey Bay. It is destroying the character of the city. Future development at Nikenbah and Dundowran will greatly exacerbate this problem. A bypass road for Maryborough is urgently required before these developments proceed. The obvious choice would be a route leaving Bruce Highway north of Maryborough and joining the Hervey Bay road north of Dundathu. This is currently mostly undeveloped flat land and would seem the logical route. However, I'm sure more informed and knowledgeable persons may have other options. In any event, any proposed developments at Nikenbah and Dundowran must consider this before any thought is given to how those developments should be planned.

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bumbles26

Comment below Nowhere in your list of planning considerations can I find reference to healthcare - hospitals, GPs etc. The reality is that Hervey Bay is underserviced to glory in this respect and all the planning for niceties in the areas under discussion will do no more than bring in thousands of additional people to further stretch the sadly broken services presently available. At absolute minimum, I suggest that your planning must include one or more of the Commonwealth Government acute care clinics. Maybe you should start the begging process NOW!

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JamieOne

Comment below Hello. One of the goals listed is to ensure new development is linked to local job opportunities and businesses. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure there is ample and reliable public transport - especially with the 50 cent fares initiative which has been made permanent. While the review or expansion of urban bus services is not controlled by Council, but rather by Translink Brisbane, it is important that these new developments do not get left behind by limited access to public transport. The development area shown currently only has access to the urban Route 705, 710, and 711 services and they currently pick up little to no passengers in the small amount of this area that they cover. As the Wide Bay Transit Hervey Bay depot is in Dundowran, it is critical that these new developments be made bus friendly. Goddards buses also service parts of Booral and River Heads, which appear to be in the development area here below the airport. I would suggest communication between Council, urban network planners for Translink Brisbane, school service planners for Translink Maryborough, and local transport operators to avoid leaving new areas without essential services. I have attached a copy of the Hervey Bay Urban Network map.

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Pawekin

Comment below Preserve current copses of mature trees. Preserve current streems and lagoons.

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Tig

Comment below Roads have become dangerous in residential areas due to a combination of very small blocks and narrow roads. People have no where to park often very large vehicles, (2 Woolworth delivery vans, 1 parked on a residents front garden and a second on the road at the front of the house) except on the sidewalk or road, blocking the view of on coming cars. keep blocks sizes at, at least 600qm. Consider including a community parking area, where residents can park extra vehicles then walk a short distance to their home. Of course safety would need to be paramount. TREES, PLEASE we need MORE TREES. They cool the area, and make the streets so much nicer. Ban those awful purple electric scooters ! They are left all over roads, parks, the beach , lakes and people who use them follow zero road rules. Community shops/coffee shops in Dundowran and a large park maybe with a small lake and again coffee shop a place for community to meet, and chat. Better public transport for the elderly, not all of them want to live in retirement centres. Need a petrol station in Dundowran. Ensure commercial buildings are kept need and tidy, and they are light industry not noisy heavy industry. Big box stores for Dundowran like PIllow Talk, Furniture stores, not just commercial .

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Sally Fawkes

Comment below What about the intersection of Pialba-Burrum Heads Road and the Harvey Bay Maryborough Road. Already this intersection is a nightmare travelling from Toogoom/Craignish/Dundowran to Hervey Bay. The infrastructure needs to be built first.

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GaryWW

Comment below Sustainable infrastructure. The catchment of NW Walligan influences the Nikenbah/Maryborough Road intersection. Particular attention is required to mitigate the southern stormwater fall from Dundowran. Water could flow through treed flatlands or stormwater piped past the intersection. Storm water pipes rarely handle significant rain events.

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GaryWW

Comment below Insurable. Wood Rd to Mebblewhite Rd north of Booral Rd is the flood plain for Bunya Creek. Factoring climate change, this area is unsuitable for building.

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GaryWW

Comment below Fraser Coast region will demand more access for transport. Hervey Bay Airport expansion, particularly for VTOL and short take off passenger craft, will require facilitation. The area into Nikenbah will require attention to this.

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Trish

Comment below The areas of concern you have looked at all make sense, however I would like to stress that wildlife corridors need to be put in place to preserve the native animals habitat to a reasonable degree, that the planning be done with human ascetics in mind, people need to feel their home is pleasant and beautiful and their sanctuary, that developers are paying the full amount that is required for infrastructure of the development with the future in mind too, not just what is needed right now, growing families etc, homes with 2 cars minimum, roads wide enough for people to park in the street when people have visitors or school pick ups where parents line both side of the roads for a KL, That council are very mindful about the massive rate increases the current residents over 20% just in the last 2 years, and please don't quote valuer general increases as i have had that discussion with them already and it up to council how they set the percentage and rates should start to come down with more housing. Please be very mindful of the quotes you call for and that you get at least 3 that are independent of council members and their families when work needs to be done that is paid by council, that the resident gets quality and value for rate payer money, hospital, roads are taken into account and expanded before residents move in

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Francine

Comment below More services including hospital beds and health services that can cater to our growing population and all other service providers police fire education

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DK Thadman

Comment below I believe it is imperative to have a safe and proper sealed bikeway from Eli Waters to Dundowran Beach built as part of the roadway upgrade to the Dundowran Beach precinct

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Comment below What steps are taken out of respect for the local ecosystem and native wildlife? Have you consulted local wildlife rescue organisations regarding the number of wildlife "incidents" already impacting the volunteers in those areas? Do you intend for local Eastern Grey Kangaroo's to self disperse? What policies are in place surrounding Australian Native Wildlife. I am aware the proposed development is all pasture/grazing however it is still home to Australian Icons... the Kangaroo and self dispersal is cruel and at the cost of volunteers and the community.

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mattmisanthropy

Comment below You want to do MORE damage?! The infrastructure and facilities can’t handle the population as it is! The small town culture of Hervey Bay (that made it attractive to people in the first place) is disappearing. The land and scenery is disappearing. The cheap housing popping up like a plague is all built on swap land, including the land you’re about to wipe out. Hervey Bay doesn’t need more housing or people. It needs a council that actually listens. This ridiculous idea is purely about bringing in more tax. It’s about greed.

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Douglas

Comment below Ensure the sewerage line extends through to Craignish so there can be more affordable blocks of land for first home buyers and a proper retail/shopping centre can be planned for.

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Douglas

Comment below NDC Sport precinct with space for multiple sports is a must.

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Tiaro but own HB

Comment below please leave this space alone. We need some green space for our wildlife. At the most, plant some trees there! If we continue to build infrastructure on every piece of land, we will ruin the land. Our poor Aussie wildlife have been kicked out of their homes enough.

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BradC

Comment below No more Sub divisions with only 1 road in or out

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Eija

Comment below A few high level starters. A) Plan the parks and floodways first and acquire that land to preserve it. B) Good area for predominantly medium development. C) Dont do the mini blocks where eaves touch and shade tree cannot grow.

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Jussie

Comment below For this amount of new residents you will need to ensure it has at least 2 GP practices, and an increase in ward beds for the hospital. We are at breaking point now. Health infrastructure is lacking.

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APardey

Comment below A reduced amount of "cookie cutter" homes, more variation from home to home, Larger lots for more freedom and rural-esque living whilst maintaining viability of subdivided lots.

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HnE

Comment below Please leave large green spaces. It would be nice to have a few big parks like in Maryborough.

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Events Registration

Community Workshop

From : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:30 AM

To : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:00 AM

At : Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B at 22 Charles Street, Pialba
Landowners Workshop

From : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 11:30 AM

To : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 01:00 PM

At : Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B at 22 Charles Street, Pialba
Development Industry Workshop

From : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:00 PM

To : Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:30 PM

At : Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B at 22 Charles Street, Pialba

Timeline

Stage 1: Project inception
May 2025
Stage 2: Boundary definition and context analysis development
July 2025
Stage 3: Vision and strategic direction
August 2024
Stage 4: Technical investigations
October 2025
Stage 5: Structure plan and report
March 2026
Stage 6: Local area plan and planning scheme deliverables
May 2026

FAQ

Community workshop
- 9:30am - 11:00am Thursday, 27 November 2025 at Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B
Landowner workshop
- 11:30am - 1:00pm Thursday, 27 November 2025 at Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B
Development industry workshop
- 2:00pm - 3:30pm Thursday, 27 November 2025 at Hervey Bay Community Centre - Hall B

Submit your ideas in the feedback and ideas section of this page.

Follow the project using the button above to be kept up-to-date on the project and opportunities to have your say!

Investigation area encompasses part of both the Nikenbah and Dundowran suburbs. Generally, the investigation area is bounded by Pialba-Burrum Heads Road, Lower Mountain Road, Chapel Road and Maggs Hill Road to the north; Piggford Lane, Nikenbah-Dundowran Road and Booral Road to the south; Craignish Road, Pursor Road, Karraschs Road and Carls Road to the west; and Amos Road to the east.

Following Planning scheme amendment processes, the need for detailed land use and infrastructure investigation in the Nikenbah and Dundowran growth area has been identified.

The need for this investigation process is the result of consistently high levels of growth over the last five years and Council's desire to ensure the region's next urban growth areas are developed in an orderly and efficient manner, consistent with a strategic vision for housing diversity, economic opportunities, liveable communities, cost effective infrastructure servicing and long-term sustainability.

A structure plan:

Sets the big picture - shows how a new area will grow and change over time;
Guides development - identifies where homes, shops, jobs, parks, schools and roads should go;
Protects important areas - makes sure natural features, open space and cultural sites are looked after;
Coordinates infrsttructure - helps Council plan for water, sewerage, power, transport and community facilities;
Shapes neighbourhoods - aims to create livable, connected and sustainable communities;
Provides certainty - provides clarity for residents, developers and Council about what can happen where.

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