Tatham Koala Fence Project

November 2024 update

The project team including EcoTeam, TfNSW and Council met last week to progress final design plans for the koala fence to be installed along Tatham Road and Bruxner Highway. Discussions with stakeholders were carried out during September and October, with feedback secured to inform installation in line with landowner property boundaries.

Safety concerns and koala habitat retention have been prioritised through the latest design, in collaboration with landowner feedback. Vegetation and weed management processes will be undertaken prior to construction start. Considerations for future maintenance have been included in the design, with maintenance exclusion zones between the koala fence and property boundaries.

Options to allow koalas, who have made their way into the roadside, easy access back behind the fences have been discussed with stakeholders. Koala poles are preferred for this project, based on monitoring and reports from TfNSW Woolgoolga to Ballina Highway teams. Other methods under consideration are koala mounds and culvert underpasses (750mm pipes under the road). Design will be completed during November, ready to open tender for a construction contractor to be appointed early 2025.

October 2024 update

The Tatham Koala Fence Project is progressing, following the appointment of local engineering and project management consultants, Ecoteam, in September. Adjoining landholder consultations have been positive, with the project team addressing any design concerns. Updated formal landholder agreements are now being prepared, and the fence design is complete pending final comments from TfNSW.

September 2024 update

The Tatham Koala Fence Project has officially commenced, following the appointment of Ecoteam, a local engineering and project management firm. An inception meeting with Ecoteam will be held to finalise the project’s timeline and the scope of construction.

August 2024 update

This project has been on hold following the 2022 natural disaster. The recovery of this flooding event has caused further delays due to project management constraints and availability, with Council now advertising for external project managers who can urgently take on this project. The announcement of a new project manager is expected to be made in September 2024, with an update on the scope and timeline of the project.

Council has been conversing with Friends of The Koala and Transport for NSW to lower the speed limit for this section of road, to reduce koala strikes.

Council is committed to the completion of this project, and are putting measures in place to minimise any future delays in conjunction with project partners.

About the project

Lismore City Council intends to erect a koala exclusion fence along a section of the Bruxner Highway at South Gundarimba, starting from Tatham Road approximately 12km west of Lismore.

The current project design includes installation of:

• 1.7km of fencing along both sides of the Bruxner Highway, including Tatham Road intersection
• 1.5km of fencing along Bruxner Highway, commencing at the Pelican Creek Bridge and including the intersection and 120m of Tatham Road.
• Safe crossing point under Pelican Creek Bridge
• Koala grids (similar to cattle grid) across three driveways
• Koala connectivity structures (fence crossing poles and escape structures)

Current Design

The 90% design has been reviewed and updated following feedback received through initial consultations. Feedback is welcome on these designs from landowners.

Key design updates:

The koala fence has been redesigned and proposed be constructed closer to the road reserve. In some cases, this will leave a 3m maintenance zone between the koala fence and existing property fencing. This zone will be maintained by Council.

Additionally, the feasibility of constructing an underpass at the fence's western end is under investigation to facilitate koala movement across the highway, thus mitigating fragmentation effects on local koala populations. This could involve the installation of either a box or round culvert.

Koala-proof fencing will redirect koalas away from busy road traffic, guiding them toward safe crossing points. One-way escape poles will also be strategically placed to enable koalas inadvertently entering roadside areas to find a route to safety.

Project Collaboration

The project has fostered collaboration among various stakeholders, including Lismore City Council, Friends of the Koala, Transport for NSW, and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW), all working collectively to preserve our local koala population.

Changed traffic conditions

Speed is current 100km along this section of Bruxner Highway. Considerations are being made to lower this to 80kms for the duration of the project, from which it will be reviewed. A permanent speed reduction is being considered and discussed with TfNSW.

Please adhere to roadside signage during construction.