A significant milestone has recently been achieved on K’gari with the successful installation of six new groundwater monitoring bores, marking an important step towards understanding and protecting one of the island’s most valuable natural assets.

K’gari is home to the world’s largest unconfined aquifer on a sand island, a remarkable groundwater system that underpins the island’s internationally significant freshwater lakes, wetlands, perched dune lakes, rainforests and unique ecosystems. Despite its importance, many aspects of how groundwater moves through the island and interacts with surface water remain poorly understood.

This collaborative project brought together Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG), Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC), APOD Soil Testing and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) to install six groundwater monitoring bores at strategically selected locations across K’gari. Guided by BAC’s cultural knowledge and oversight, supported by APOD’s specialist drilling expertise, and facilitated by QPWS’s on-ground logistics and site access, the project demonstrated the value of strong partnerships in delivering science that supports the long-term management of K’gari’s unique groundwater systems.

This data will improve our understanding of groundwater flow, recharge processes and the connections between groundwater and the island’s freshwater ecosystems. Of particular importance is understanding the groundwater source for the islands lakes and which lakes are best suited to provide an emergency water supply for firefighting. Many of these lakes are supported by shallow perched aquifer systems and are highly sensitive to changes in water availability, whereas other lakes are connected to the deeper regional aquifer that can support sustainable water extraction. Ongoing groundwater monitoring will help build this understanding, providing a stronger scientific basis for future decisions about emergency water extraction while protecting K’gari’s unique freshwater ecosystems.

This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Burnett Mary Regional Group as a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

Article contributed by Benjamin Hoekstra, Burnett Mary Regional Group for NRM