Airlie Beach Lagoon Lighting Upgrade

An inspection earlier this year by WorkSafe Queensland identified a need to upgrade the Airlie Beach Lagoon lighting to meet the revised Australian Standards.

Whitsunday Regional Council CEO Rod Ferguson said lighting lux safety standards had recently changed resulting in reviews of lagoons and aquatic facilities by all Queensland Councils.

“The minimum lighting requirement was increased to an average of 120 lux with parameters around glare so Council allocated $500,000 in the 2021-22 Budget to upgrade the Lagoon lighting to meet the new standards,” he said.

“The stricter lighting standards meant that Council had to work through a number of issues including a concern that higher and brighter lighting towers may create confusion for turtles during nesting season and ensuring the lighting reached all parts of the lagoon swimming area.

“The tender for this lighting has been issued and the upgraded lighting is expected to be installed and operating by March next year.

“Unfortunately this has meant that the operating hours of the lagoon swimming and water activities have been altered until the upgraded lighting is installed,” Mr Ferguson said.

“The lagoon swimming area will be operational from 6am to 6pm in the short term but discussions will be held with the new contractor when they commence mid-December to find a more flexible solution.

“Council acknowledges this may cause some disruption to swimmers, particularly in the summer months, however the safety of our residents and visitors is always our number one priority and we ask that patrons adhere to the direction of lifeguards during this period.”