Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan facts for kids

The Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan (GCSMP) is a special plan to help manage the beaches and coastal areas of the City of Gold Coast. It's like a big guidebook for keeping our coast healthy and safe. The government's environmental agency encourages local councils to create these plans for their coastlines and waterways.

The Gold Coast Council started working on the GCSMP in 2005. Before this, the main plan for Gold Coast beaches was called the Delft Report, which came out in 1971.

The Delft Report: Saving Our Beaches

Gold Coast beaches have sometimes lost a lot of sand, which is called beach erosion. In 1967, a series of 11 strong cyclones hit the coast and washed away most of the sand. The Government of Queensland asked expert engineers from Delft University in the Netherlands for advice on how to fix the erosion.

The Delft Report was published in 1971. It suggested several important projects for Gold Coast beaches. These included building the Gold Coast Seaway, working on the beaches at Narrowneck (which led to the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy), and projects at the Tweed River (which became the Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project).

The Gold Coast Seawall: A Coastal Shield

The Gold Coast has a large seawall, which is like a strong protective barrier, included in its shoreline management plan. The first parts of this seawall were built after the 1967 cyclones, with help from the Delft University engineers. The seawall was designed to connect as many older seawalls as possible.

This seawall is made of three layers:

• Big rocks (called armour boulders) that can weigh up to 4 tonnes.
• Smaller rocks (secondary armour) weighing around 360 kg.
• A base layer of clay and shale.

The seawall is about 16 meters wide and 6 meters high. It's built to withstand powerful waves, even from a very strong cyclone.

In 2006, building one meter of the Gold Coast Seawall cost about A$3000. The seawall is built along the parts of the Gold Coast coastline where there are buildings. Areas like South Stradbroke Island and the Southport Spit, which are not urban, don't have seawalls. The Gold Coast Planning Scheme requires private property owners along the beach to build their part of the seawall before they can make big changes to their houses. The Council builds the parts of the seawall that protect public land.

Moving Sand to Surfers Paradise

The Delft Report also suggested making the Gold Coast Seaway stable and building a system to pump sand. This system would move sand from the mainland, under the navigation channel, to South Stradbroke Island.

The GCSMP will look into whether 20% of this sand could instead be pumped back to the beaches of Surfers Paradise. This would help protect the beaches from the impacts of climate change, like rising sea levels.

Narrowneck Reef: An Underwater Helper

In 1971, the Dutch University Delft suggested building a groyne (a wall built out into the sea) at Narrowneck. However, the Council decided to build an artificial reef instead. This reef was made to help keep the sand on the beach at Narrowneck.

So far, the reef has done a good job of protecting the coastline. While it hasn't been as great for surfing as hoped, it has had a surprising benefit: it attracts lots of marine life and reef fish! This makes it a popular spot for diving and fishing. Narrowneck is also a favourite place for kite surfing and longboarding.

Kurrawa Park Reef: Another Potential Reef

The Narrowneck Reef was built about one-third of the way between Burleigh Heads and the Gold Coast Seaway. The GCSMP will explore if a new reef should be built at Kurrawa Park, about two-thirds of the way along. This new reef would also help Gold Coast beaches adapt to climate change.

Palm Beach Protection: A Community Decision

In 2004, the Gold Coast City Council suggested a new plan to protect Palm Beach. This plan included building three new reefs and adding more sand to the beach (called beach nourishment). However, some people in the community didn't like the idea. They started a "no reef" protest campaign, which stopped the plan from happening.

Currumbin Alley: Keeping the Creek Clear

The Council regularly dredges Currumbin Creek each year. This means they remove sand and mud from the bottom to keep the waterway clear.

Southern Points: Great Views and Waves

The Southern Points of the Gold Coast face north. They offer amazing views of the coast and fantastic surfing spots.

Kirra Point: Surfing and Sand

Kirra Point is a very popular place for surfing. Surfers sometimes worry that too much sand is making the waves less good. However, there's a lot of discussion about whether this is really true. The Council is adding sand to the foreshore here to cover the seawall and create more parkland for people to enjoy.

Greenmount Point: The Superbank

Surfing waves break along a long sand bank that stretches from Snapper Rocks through Rainbow Bay, past Greenmount Point and Coolangatta, and then to Kirra. This whole area is famous and is often called the Superbank because of its long, consistent waves.

Snapper Rocks: Surfers' Influence

Surfers worked hard to convince the authorities to move the sand outlet (where sand is released) to improve the surfing waves at Snapper Rocks.

Tweed River Sand Bypassing: Sharing the Sand

A special sand bypassing system started working in 2001. Its job is to move sand from the Tweed River in New South Wales across the border to the beaches in Queensland. This helps keep the beaches healthy on both sides.

Gold Coast Oceanway: Paths for a Healthy Coast

The Gold Coast Oceanway is a network of pathways that stretches for about 36 kilometers (22 miles) along the Gold Coast beaches. These paths encourage healthier and more environmentally friendly ways to get around and enjoy the coast, like walking and cycling.