Noosa hinterland residents say their lives have been "turned upside down" by hundreds of quarry trucks driving along country roads "every day, six days a week".
The Kin Kin Quarry has operated for more than three decades, but a recent change in lease ownership has resulted in a significant increase in truck traffic.
Noosa Shire Council has issued the new leaseholders with infringement notices, fines totalling $160,000 and is considering legal action, but the quarry operator, Cordwell's Resources, says the council's requests to limit truck numbers is "unreasonable".
'Up to 300 trucks a day'
Artist Steve Weis is woken early six days a week by the "alarm clock" trucks when they pass his home on one of the main routes to the Kin Kin Quarry.
Six trucks had passed by his home between 6am and 6:21am on Friday, July 9.
By 7:00am, almost 20 had thundered by.
"At the worst, we've had up to 300 trucks a day and, on a regular basis, 200 trucks a day coming across this bridge," he said.
Mr Weis estimates that under the previous operators, there might have been "about a dozen a day" passing his property, which houses his life's work — a sound garden filled with sculptures designed to make noises.
He said the unique garden was once popular with tourists, but the noisy trucks meant it could no longer be enjoyed as it was intended.
Mr Weis said he had spoken to real estate agents about selling up.
"We've had a number of real estate agents give us an appraisal on this property," he said.
"And because of the quarry trucks going by, I'll lose possibly $100,000."
Mental and physical toll: Mayor
The Kin Kin Quarry is operated by Sunshine Coast business Cordwell's Resources, but the trucks are owned by a number of contractors.
Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart said she was worried about the physical, mental and financial toll the heavy truck traffic was taking on hinterland residents.
"Businesses are suffering, people are moving, mental health issues are happening," Councillor Stewart said.
Cooran resident Samantha Kidston said the trucks drove her to a point of anxiety, prompting her to sell the home she wanted to live in forever.
"It had a huge impact on my life. As the trucks went past my house, it sounded like they were coming through my bedroom window," Ms Kidston said.
Ms Kidston moved to the village-like town five years ago in search of a quiet, like-minded community.
But she said everything changed a year ago when the truck traffic, which had been increasing over several months, finally reached "unmanageable" levels.
"I just didn't want to be there in my home anymore because the noise of the trucks passing every couple of minutes was relentless for 12 hours a day."
More than $160,000 in fines
Cr Stewart says the council is powerless to change the current management plan, as it was approved by a previous council.
Most of the breaches were for traffic infringements when Cordwell's Resources failed to maintain the necessary five-minute gap between trucks leaving the quarry.
Cr Stewart said the council had been working with the community on the issue since mid-2020, but Cordwell's Resources stopped responding after initial communication.
"They attended the first one or two meetings, but subsequently after that time ceased to attend," she said.
Sound and vision of the trucks is being recorded as the council considers legal action as a last resort.
"We're calling on you [Cordwell's] to do the right thing," Cr Stewart said.
Cordwell's Resources declined to be interviewed by the ABC, but a spokesperson said in a statement that the company was acting within the existing management plan guidelines, and the council's requests to reduce truck movements was unreasonable.
Not giving up
Despite selling up, Ms Kidston continued to lobby the quarry as part of the 450-strong group Save Noosa Hinterland.
The council has backed the more than 1,300 people who have signed a petition to stop the trucks.
"These little one-street towns like Cooran, where we're standing now in Kin Kin, even Pomona, our little central hub will not survive the onslaught," Ms Kidston said.
