North Star to NSW/Qld Border project update April 2021

This month on the North Star to NSW/Queensland Border project we continued work on our Response to Submissions Report, consulted the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) on the project’s conditions of approval and updated the Macintyre River floodplain model.

Aerial view of the Macintyre River near Boggabilla showing blue sky and the tree lined river winding through the landscape

We are currently working with DPE to negotiate the project’s draft conditions of approval. This is a collaborative process which also considers community submissions. It is anticipated the Minister for Planning will make a determination about the project over the coming months.

Macintyre River floodplain model update

We have updated the Macintyre River floodplain hydrologic and hydraulic modelling to ensure compliance with the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) 2019 guidelines and best practice flood modelling. Hydrological modelling converts rainfall into runoff amounts and hydraulic modelling uses the hydrological model to recreate a flood event.

The latest calibration is more robust than previous model calibrations, and the hydraulic model incorporates 2019 LiDAR data for a more accurate representation of the current ground conditions.

During the recent weather event we also took the opportunity to capture aerial footage to gather more information. If you have any field data you would like to share with the project team, please send it to us by emailing inlandrailnsw@artc.com.au.

Ongoing consultation

We’re continuing to work with directly affected landowners and local councils to further explore hydrology impacts and discuss property matters with directly impacted landowners. For more information on Inland Rail’s land access and property acquisition processes, please visit the Property Acquisition page on our website.

We welcome your feedback and invite you to contact the project team on 1800 732 761 or email inlandrailnsw@artc.com.au for more information.