Gold Coast Broadwater
Encyclopedia
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of water reaching from the locality of Southport
Southport, Queensland
-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...
to the southern section of the World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
along the eastern coast of Australia. Separated from the ocean by the a thin strip of land called Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century...
, the original body of water was a lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
created from water deposited from the Nerang River. It was Captain Patrick Logan
Patrick Logan
Captain Patrick Logan was the commandant of the Moreton Bay penal colony from 1826 until his death in 1830. He is thought to have been killed by Aboriginal Australians who objected to him entering their lands...
that first discovered this southern entrance to Moreton Bay.
The entrance of the Nerang River was at Main Beach
Main Beach, Queensland
Main Beach is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Main Beach had a population of 3,324....
in the late 19th century but by the 1980s had moved about 6 km northwards. The Gold Coast Seaway
Gold Coast Seaway
The Gold Coast Seaway or Southport Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the Pacific Ocean into the Gold Coast Broadwater and southern Moreton Bay and is one of Australia’s most significant coastal engineering projects...
was completed in 1986 to stabilise the location of the Nerang River Entrance. Towards the northern end of the broadwater the Pimpama River
Pimpama River
The Pimpama River is a river situated in South East Queensland, with its catchment located in the northern part of Gold Coast City. It is bounded by the Logan/Albert River catchment to the north, the Coomera River catchment to the south and the Broadwater in the east...
enters. The broadwater is very large and contains lots of species of marine life.
Gold Coast Ferries
Gold Coast Ferries
Gold Coast Ferries is a ferry service which operates on the Gold Coast Broadwater in South East Queensland. The ferries run between Hope Harbour and Couran Cove Island Resort on South Stradbroke Island. The company also runs group transfers through Gold Coast waterways and southern Moreton Bay...
operates a number of services across the waterway.
History
In 1925, the Jubilee Bridge opened to traffic, replacing ferry services which transported passengers across the Broadwater.Urban Myth
Sometime in the late 19th century, a section of South Stradbroke IslandSouth Stradbroke Island
South Stradbroke Island is an Australian island in the state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The 21 km by 2.5 km sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Islands and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild...
eroded, opening a second connection between the Broadwater and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
now known as Jumpinpin Channel
Jumpinpin Channel
The Jumpinpin channel also known as The Pin lies between North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island. It has a fast moving tidal deep water Channel not appropriate for swimming but is popular with beach anglers....
. Some say that the erosion that opened Jumpinpin was a natural occurrence, but others maintain that a ship ran aground full of rum and it was the locals trasping across the dunes to collect the rum barrels that caused the new Jumpinpin entrance to open.
Broadwaterway
The Broadwaterway is a 19 km foreshorewayForeshoreway
A foreshoreway is a type of greenway that provides a public right of way along the edge of a waterbody.Foreshoreways are usually focused on sustainable behaviours and hence are a common facility for sustainable transport. The terminology was derived to assist to avoid the perception of a pavement...
along the foreshores of the Gold Coast Broadwater. The Broadwaterway includes:
- The SpitSouthport Spit, QueenslandThe Southport Spit lies opposite Southport to the north of Main Beach, Gold Coast. It is a permanent sand spit that separates the Southport Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean....
arm - the Marine Stadium,
- western Spit foreshores (including Sea WorldSea WorldSea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
, Fishing fleet, Versace Hotel, Marina Mirage, Fishermans Wharf, Water Police, Sea Scouts and the Southport Yacht Club) - Pelican Beach at Main Beach
- Southport Broadwater Parklands
- Marine Parade and Harley Park Labrador
- Broadwater Esplanades of Biggera Waters, Runaway Bay and Hollywell.
- Paradise Point Broadwater Parklands