Bayview Heights to White Rock Underground Cable Project

Overview

Powerlink owns and operates 2.7km of 275kV underground high voltage transmission cables that run between the Bayview Heights and White Rock transition stations in Cairns.   

Installed in 1997, the 2.7km of underground cables are critical to maintaining a reliable, secure and safe power supply for residents and businesses in Cairns and the Far North Queensland region.   

Powerlink maintains an easement along the length of the underground cables so we can safely operate and maintain the transmission cables.  

Since the underground cables were installed, there has been significant development in the Mount Sheridan area, including the residential Forest Gardens Estate. Over time, vegetation has grown around the underground cables and easement.   

Essential works to ensure the continued secure supply of power to the Cairns region are being delivered along sections of the underground cable and easement located in Mount Sheridan’s Forest Gardens Estate and include:   

• vegetation management along the easement, including selected tree removal of approximately 385 trees identified as being a high or future risk to the underground cables   
• easement restoration, including replanting with compatible vegetation  
• refurbishment works at two cable joint bay sites located near Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close.    

We will minimise impacts wherever possible and are committed to keeping residents and the community updated on start and finish dates for all planned works.  

Status

Maintenance requirements  

Essential cable joint refurbishment works are needed at two joint bay sites located within Powerlink’s easement, adjacent to Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close in the Forest Gardens Estate.     

The refurbishment works on the joint bays will be undertaken during planned network outages and will not result in any impacts to electricity supply.     

Works around the cable joint bay sites will commence from Monday 24 March 2025.  

As the joint bays are located underground, the area above will be established as a construction site. The works will involve:  

• targeted vegetation clearing around the joint bay sites
• levelling the area above the joint bays
• excavating the joint bays
• setting up equipment required for the refurbishment works
• installing temporary fencing around the work site. 

Vegetation clearing is required to provide safe and clear access to excavate the joint bay sites and deliver the refurbishment works.  

To prepare the sites, work crews will need to use small cranes, trucks and excavators.  

Once the joint bays are excavated, a marquee-type structure will be erected over the sites to provide weather protection and a controlled environment for the specialist crews to perform their work.  

What to expect during the works  

The crews delivering these works will be on-site between 6am and 6pm. Works will initially be performed Mondays to Saturdays, but once the joint bays are excavated works will be daily (including Sundays) to expedite their delivery.  

Local traffic and pedestrian management plans will be in place, as required, to maintain safety and access for residents and community members.  

A security provider will also patrol the joint bay sites outside of the crew’s working hours.  

Schedule of works  

Joint bay site near Alpinia Terrace  

• Vegetation removal works are scheduled to start Monday 24 March 2025
• Site preparation works are scheduled to start from Monday 31 March 2025
• All works at the joint bay site to be completed by late June 2025. 

Joint bay site near Amazon Close  

• Vegetation removal works are scheduled to start Monday 24 March 2025
• Site preparation works are scheduled to start from Monday 14 April 2025
• All works at the joint bay site to be completed by late August 2025.  

We will keep residents and the local community updated on timings as these works progress.  

Crowley Creek walking path  

The underground cable joint bays in the Forest Gardens Estate are currently covered by sections of the Crowley Creek walking path.    

Planning is underway with Cairns Regional Council to permanently realign two short sections of this walking path near the joint bay sites.   

By realigning these sections near Alpinia Terrace and Amazon Close, we can safely deliver maintenance works at the joint bay sites without impacting walking path users.  

Vegetation within these areas is already marked for removal due to posing a risk to our cable. Some additional clearing may be required for these realignment works, and new shade trees will be planted, where possible, near the new sections.  

As the realignment brings the walking path closer to the creek bank, new bollards or handrails will be installed to maintain safety.  

We are also working with Cairns Regional Council to identify opportunities to upgrade the existing railing on the pedestrian bridge near Alpinia Terrace.  

The walking path realignment works will start at the section near Alpinia Terrace and will then move onto the section near Amazon Close.  

Section near Alpinia Terrace  

• Works are scheduled to commence from Monday 31 March 2025 and will be completed by mid-April 2025, weather dependent.  

Section near Amazon Close  

• Works are scheduled to commence from Monday 14 April 2025 and will be completed by mid-May 2025, weather dependent.  

A Community Notice (March 2025) has been distributed to residents and the wider community with further information about these works including plans showing realigned sections.  A copy of this Community Notice and the plans are available under the ‘Resource’ tab on this page in the ‘Newsletters and Notices’ drop-down menu.   

Vegetation management  

Further tree removal along the easement is required to remove the remaining trees posing a future risk to the underground cables.  

This work is scheduled to start from July 2025, and we will keep residents and the community updated on the timing of activities.  

Further information about the trees to be removed in 2025 is available under the ‘Resources’ tab on this webpage, within the ‘Vegetation Management and Easement Restoration Options’ drop-down menu.     

These works will be undertaken by local contractors (ETS Infrastructure Management) and an arborist and fauna spotter will again be on-site during the vegetation removal process to minimise any disturbance to the local environment.   

On-site equipment may include wood-chippers, tipper trucks, chainsaws, pole saws, blowers, an excavator and a specialist harvesting machine.  

Work crews will be on-site on Mondays to Fridays, between 7.30am and 5pm.  

Local traffic and pedestrian management plans will be in place to maintain safety and access for residents and community members. 

Easement restoration planting works   

The easement restoration works are progressing well with the recent planting of compatible vegetation along the easement.   

During maintenance of the new plantings, it has been identified that some species are not thriving in their current location.  

Some species will be replanted at alternate, suitable locations along the easement and tube stock will be replaced as required.  

Some areas need to remain clear to provide access for further tree removal and the cable joint bay refurbishment works scheduled to commence from Monday 24 March 2025.  Plantings in these areas will be undertaken at the start of the 2025 wet season.   

Cairns Conservation Services has been engaged to deliver the easement restoration planting works in partnership with Powerlink. The works involve planting approximately 24,000 grasses and plants of local provenance seed and cuttings and approximately 50 shade trees.   

Amenities  

We are continuing to plan for the delivery of new amenities along the easement including liaising with relevant suppliers.  

New amenities will be installed this year starting in areas that will not be impacted by further vegetation management activities or the joint bay refurbishment works.  

Prior to the amenities being installed, we will place signage along the easement to show the locations of these amenities.  

The type and location of amenities has been determined following feedback from residents, the wider community and in consultation with Cairns Regional Council.  

Please refer to the below map showing the indicative locations of the new and upgraded amenities along the walking path and easement, or under the ‘Resources’ tab on this page –  ‘Visuals’ drop-down menu.  

Get involved 

Local residents, the wider community and other stakeholders will be kept updated about this project and receive further information through:   

• letterbox drops to properties in the project area    
• door-knocking residents directly neighbouring the joint bay sites   
• project newsletters    
• webpage updates    
• social media posts    
• signage along the easement.      

For more information on the Bayview Heights to White Rock Underground Cable project, please contact our project team on 07 4034 7600 or fnqprojects@powerlink.com.au.    

Project background 

VEGETATION MANAGEMENT 

Powerlink undertakes regular inspections of our transmission network to monitor its condition and identify issues such as vegetation that can impact the reliability of power supply.    

If not managed appropriately, some vegetation can be a hazard to our network and damage critical infrastructure, affect power supply and impact easement clearance zones.    

Inspections of the underground cables, easement and neighbouring Bayview Heights Transition Station have identified significant issues with the surrounding vegetation. This includes species with intrusive root systems encroaching on the underground cables.    

It has been determined that selected tree removal and vegetation management is required along the easement to manage existing and future risks to the underground cables and ensure the continued secure supply of power to the Cairns region. 

Due to the extent of vegetation along the easement and its social and environmental value, a site-specific clearing approach has been developed for the project. The approach involves keeping as much existing vegetation as possible while managing risks to the underground cables.     

Vegetation Restoration Zones    

We have been consulting with local nurseries in Cairns to seek feedback on compatible species types and understand the variety and availability of stock.     

An indicative species list for the easement restoration works is available under the ‘Resources’ tab on this page – ‘Vegetation Management and Easement Restoration Options’ drop-down menu.  This is not a definitive list and is subject to change.     

While the species list is still being refined, the species used for the restoration works will be:     

• compatible with the underground cables and the easement in their mature state    
• locally propagated from local provenance seed and cuttings     
• determined by the availability of stock at the time of planting.    

Vegetation restoration zones will guide what is planted based on the species type and the zone’s proximity to the underground cables. The zones are measured from the distance of the centre of the two underground cables.     

This approach of planting within zones will support a diversity of species while maintaining clearance requirements for the underground cables and easement.     

Two of the zones have limitations for vegetation:     

• Zone 1 (within 3m) limits vegetation to groundcovers only, such as grasses and rushes    
• Zone 5 (within 0 – 10m) prohibits the planting of any trees identified as having intrusive root systems.     

In the other vegetation restoration zones, there will be opportunities to diversify the planting with palm lilies, shrubs, palms and trees. The image below shows the restoration zones and indications of compatible species types.      

Visuals showing the restoration zones and compatible species types are available under the ‘Resources’ tab – within the ‘Visuals’ drop-down menu.    

Community feedback    

New amenities were proposed to enhance the walking path for all users and to address shade loss and community feedback, where possible.   

We received feedback regarding the proposed amenities and their locations via:   

• emails  
• resident surveys  
• targeted door-knocking of neighbouring residents  
• community information drop-in sessions.   

The key areas of feedback received from the local community included:   

• opposition to the proposed shelters near Alpinia Terrace and Matisia Close due to their proximity to homes   
• ongoing concerns that new amenities will contribute to undesirable behaviours in the area  
• mixed feedback about the use of existing seats along the walking path  
• support for additional shade trees being planted, where possible 
• support for bench seats and water bubblers with dog bowls at intervals along the walking path to provide respite for all users.    

Overall, the feedback received indicated new amenities along the walking path and easement will be used and supported by residents and the local community.   

Resident survey 

Residents were encouraged to provide feedback on our engagement activities and the vegetation management works undertaken in mid-2024 via a survey.   

The feedback received will be used to help inform planning for the easement restoration works and delivery of future vegetation management activities and joint bay refurbishment works scheduled for 2025.   

Through the survey, residents and the local community have shared a preference for us to continue to engage with them through letterbox drops, project newsletters and signage on the easement.   

The resident survey closed in December 2024 and we thank the residents who provided their feedback.   

Easement restoration  

Powerlink is committed to restoring the easement while maintaining required safety clearances for the underground cables and easement.    

We have been working with Cairns Regional Council to appropriately plan for easement restoration works, including identifying new amenity opportunities for the area such as shade structures and seating.    

Along with community feedback, the planning process has considered:   

• clearance requirements for the underground cables and easement   
• Council’s policies and standards for public open spaces   
• compatible species types and availability of locally propagated stock   
• users of the Crowleys Creek walking path
• opportunities for new amenities and vegetation to address shade loss   
• ongoing vegetation management and maintenance requirements.   

Following community feedback, we worked with Cairns Regional Council to finalise the easement restoration plan by:   

• removing the proposed shelters near Alpinia Terrace and Matisia Close  
• confirming the proposed shelter, bench seat and water bubbler with dog bowl near Blueberry Close will proceed  
• identifying indicative locations for new shade trees, bench seats and water bubblers with dog bowls  
• confirming existing seating to be upgraded or removed.    

We also investigated options for additional bench seats and shade trees along the easement between:   

• Blueberry Close and Scarlet Close  
• Foxtail Street and Matisia Close.