All aboard for Stage 3

Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program newsletter

Issue 6, December 2023 🎄

The Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program (CMP or HNRS CMP) is being developed by six councils that border the tidal section of the Hawkesbury River estuary with support from the NSW Government. The CMP sets the long-term strategy for the coordinated management of the HNRS with a focus on achieving the objects of the NSW Coastal Management Act (2016). The CMP will primarily focus on the coastal management areas within the tidal section stretching over 145 km of the Hawkesbury river from Broken Bay up to Yarramundi near Richmond. The CMP also covers the waterways of Pittwater and Brisbane Water which converge with the Lower Hawkesbury River at Broken Bay.

For further information on this project and the CMP process, visit hawkesburynepeancmp.org

All aboard!

In October 2023, following a competitive consultant selection process, the HNRS CMP Steering Committee have onboarded Water Technology Pty Ltd to help us deliver Stages 3 and 4 of the Coastal Management Program in accordance with the five-stage risk management approach recommended by the NSW Government’s Coastal Management Manual.

There are a few distinct tasks that will need to be completed as the CMP progresses through Stages 3-4. We are on track to finalise Task 1 by the end of the year and just had our first in-person multi-stakeholder workshop to confirm the strategic direction of our Coastal Management Program, including how the document will be structured and how catchment-based issues will be addressed.

Engagement approach

Water Technology has also been tasked with the development of the Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan to be implemented throughout Stages 3 and 4 that clearly identifies the type, number, target audience and timeframes for each of the proposed engagement activities.

The engagement plan will be reviewed by the Steering Committee in the beginning of the new year and will likely consist of combination of online and in-person engagement options, including, but not limited to:

website and social media updates;
online mapping portal to allow feedback on proposed management actions to be included in the CMP;
drop in sessions at strategic locations along the estuary;
workshops with government agencies and First Nations groups.

For now, we have no further updates, but we will be in touch again in the New Year to report on the progress. Keep a look out for our next newsletter issue in 2024.

In the meantime, if are looking for book inspirations to read this holiday season, we’ve put together a list of books (historical, educational and fiction) that feature the mighty Hawkesbury:

The Secret River by Kate Granville;
The Hawkesbury River by Paul Boon;
The Shipbuilders of Brisbane Waters NSW, incl. vessels built between 1829 and 1953 by Gwen Dundon;
Growing up on the Hawkesbury River by John Holland;
Losing Ground by Sue Rosen;
People of the River by Grace Karskens;
The language of Oysters by Robert Adamson;
1788 by Watkin Tench.

For something more technical, you can also review the reports produced as part of Stage 2 of the CMP here.

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This newsletter will be released as the project progresses, so keep an eye out on our project website for more regular updates - hawkesburynepeancmp.org. Feel free to forward this Newsletter to anyone who might be interested in the future management of the State’s premier river system!

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Thanks for staying involved and contributing to the Hawkesbury Nepean River System Coastal Management Program!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from members of the HNRS CMP Steering Committee 🎄🎅🎁