Dozens of trees poisoned along valuable and beloved Sunshine Coast beachfront
Dozens of trees poisoned along Dicky Beach coastal pathway
A Norfolk pine loses its leaves after being poisoned along a popular beachfront walkway on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
In short:
Dozens of trees, including at least one Norfolk pine, have been targeted in a mass poisoning along a Sunshine Coast beachfront walkway.
Council teams have now scoured the area to remove any trace of the poison, as they work to identify the chemicals and potentially a culprit.
What's next
If a culprit is found and prosecuted, environmental vandalism can carry fines of more than $130,000.
Dozens of native trees, including at least one towering Norfolk pine, are dying after being illegally doused with poison along a beachfront walkway on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
A 300-metre stretch along Dicky Beach in Caloundra was the target of the chemical attack, which has the potential to permanently contaminate the soil.
The Sunshine Coast Council is investigating a tree poisoning that stretches about 300 metres along a popular beachfront walkway at Dicky Beach. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
Sunshine Coast councillor Terry Landsberg said council teams had been scouring the area "with a fine-tooth comb" to remove any remaining traces of the poison.
"It's so distressing to see the amount of dieback that we're actually witnessing, as well as potentially the loss of one of our iconic Norfolk pines,"he said.
"This is probably one of the largest in terms of poisoning that we've witnessed [on the Sunshine Coast].
"To see it on this scale is really distressing."
Dicky Beach on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has become popular for property investors and tourists. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
Cr Landsberg said the council was testing the samples collected from the area to determine the exact poison used, in the hopes of saving the affected trees.
"It appears as though this poison may be affecting the photosynthesis, and maybe their ability to attract sunlight,"he said.
"We can see that it's extremely aggressive".
'We've got to follow due process'
The councillor declined to speculate about why anyone would want to poison a long line of beachfront trees.
"You can take your own assumptions in regards to why people do this on this scale," he said.
Sunshine Coast councillor Terry Landsberg says the poisoning may be one of the largest to occur in the region. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
"We've got to make sure we respect the process before we start singling out any property owner or individual.
"We've got to follow due process and make sure we deal with it in an appropriate manner."
If a culprit is found and prosecuted, environmental vandalism can carry fines of more than $130,000.
Caloundra resident Chloe Christopher, 28, has lived in the area her entire life, and said she was hurt to see the damage done.
Caloundra woman Chloe Christopher, 28, has lived in the area her entire life and says it's sad to see the flowers and greenery slowly disappear. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
She said the area was usually "luscious" and dotted with flowers.
"It's sad to see because we live in such a beautiful part of the coast, so it's really sad to come past and see all of our beautiful plants dying," she said.
"I'm not sure what the point of poisoning it was, but it's just really disappointing because it just ruined a beautiful place on the coast."
Dicky Beach resident Brittany Guy, with son, questioned why anyone would poison the same trees that make the area so beautiful and valuable. (ABC News: Owen Jacques)
Brittany Guy, who lives nearby, spends a lot of time in the area with her young son and said she was furious to learn trees had been poisoned.
"What was the point? Do you live around here? Do your children grow up around here?"she said.
"There's people paying millions and millions of dollars to live here for the environment that we live in and that nature we're around.
"I don't understand why they would do that."
Couple fined over Noosa clearing
The Sunshine Coast council is not the only one grappling with illegal destruction of trees and greenery.
In September, Noosa couple Heidi Meyer and Kim Carroll were ordered to replant almost 1,600 trees and pay court fees of almost $50,000 for illegally clearing their private land.
The cleared and subdivided land on Picture Point Crescent in Noosa Heads was listed for sale online for $25 million last year.
A Noosa council spokesman said he hoped the costs and orders would serve as a warning to others.