Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan
Encyclopedia
The Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan (GCSMP) is an ICZM
plan to manage the coastal resources of Gold Coast City. The EPA
encourages the City Council's to produce shoreline management plans for coastlines and tidal waterways within the local authority area.
The Council commenced work on the GCSMP in 2005. The previous key planning document for Gold Coast beaches was the Delft Report of 1971.
engaged engineers from Delft University in the Netherlands
to advise what to do about the beach erosion. The Delft Report was published in 1971, and outlined a series of works for Gold Coast Beaches including Gold Coast Seaway
, works at Narrowneck
that resulted in the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy and works at the Tweed River
that became the Tweed River
Entrance Sand Bypassing Project.
seawall in Australia is contained within the Gold Coast's shoreline management plan. The original seawall was laid out following 11 cyclone
s in 1967 with assistance from coastal engineers from Delft University. The seawall alignment was selected to pick up as many of the older seawalls as possible. The seawall consists of three layers, armour boulders up to 4 tonnes, secondary armour around 360 kg and a clay shale foundation layer. The seawall is 16m across and 6m high and has a front slope of 1:1.5. The seawall was tested in a wave tank to withstand attack from a 1:100 cyclone wave.
A Gold Coast Seawall costs around A$3000 per meter to construct in 2006. The seawall is constructed along a designated seawall alignment along urban sections of the Gold Coast coastline. Non-Urban sections of coastline including South Stradbroke Island
and the Southport
Spit are not licenced for the construction of a seawall. The Gold Coast Planning Scheme requires private property owners along the beach to construct the seawall at their property at the property owners expense prior to making any investment into their house. The Council constructs sections of seawall that protect public land.
and the construction of a sand bypass system to pump sand from the mainland under the navigation channel to South Stradbroke Island
. The GCSMP will examine whether 20% of the sand could instead be backpassed sustainably to the beaches of Surfers Paradise
to mitigate the impact of climate change
.
Prior to stabilisation of the Gold Coast Seaway the island welding
hypothesis suggests that up to 20% of all sand moving along the Gold Coast (Longshore drift
) entered the Gold Coast Broadwater
to gradually weld islands onto the mainland.
at Narrowneck. The Council examined the idea of a groyne and instead constructed an artificial reef
to stabilise the foreshore at Narrowneck. So far the reef has worked well as a coastal control point, but has been disappointing in its secondary objective to improve surfing. A surprising benefit of the Narrowneck Reef has been its ability to attract marine growth and reef fish and is now a popular diving and fishing location. Narrowneck is particularly popular for kite surfing and longboarding.
Reef was constructed as a coastal control point 1/3 of the way between Burleigh Heads
and the Gold Coast Seaway. The GCSMP will examine if a new reef at Kurrawa Park should be constructed at the 2/3s position to assist with the adaption of Gold Coast beaches to climate change
.
. Some in the community didn't like the idea and organised a "no reef" protest campaign that prevented the scheme being implemented.
from New South Wales
to Queensland
in 2001.
is a 36 km network of pathways
along Gold Coast beaches that encourages healthier
and more sustainable
coastal lifestyles.
Integrated coastal zone management
Integrated coastal zone management or Integrated coastal management is a process for the management of the coast using an integrated approach, regarding all aspects of the coastal zone, including geographical and political boundaries, in an attempt to achieve sustainability.This concept was born...
plan to manage the coastal resources of Gold Coast City. The EPA
Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland)
Queensland's Environmental Protection Agency was for some time a separate department of the Queensland Government, and, following 2009 State elections, became a part of the Government's larger Department of Environment and Resource Management.This part of the Department of Environment and...
encourages the City Council's to produce shoreline management plans for coastlines and tidal waterways within the local authority area.
The Council commenced work on the GCSMP in 2005. The previous key planning document for Gold Coast beaches was the Delft Report of 1971.
Delft Report
Gold Coast Beaches have had periods of severe beach erosion. In 1967, a series of eleven cyclones removed most of the sand from Gold Coast beaches. The Government of QueenslandGovernment of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
engaged engineers from Delft University in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to advise what to do about the beach erosion. The Delft Report was published in 1971, and outlined a series of works for Gold Coast Beaches including 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...
, works at Narrowneck
Narrowneck, Queensland
Narrowneck is the name of a narrow bit of coastline that separates the anabranch of the Nerang River from the southern end of Main Beach and the northern end of Surfers Paradise beach.-Seawalls:...
that resulted in the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy and works at the Tweed River
Tweed River
Tweed River may refer to:*River Tweed, which flows from the Scottish Borders into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, forming the border between Scotland and England along part of its route*River Tweed, Leicestershire in England...
that became the Tweed River
Tweed River
Tweed River may refer to:*River Tweed, which flows from the Scottish Borders into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed, England, forming the border between Scotland and England along part of its route*River Tweed, Leicestershire in England...
Entrance Sand Bypassing Project.
Gold Coast Seawall
The Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
seawall in Australia is contained within the Gold Coast's shoreline management plan. The original seawall was laid out following 11 cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
s in 1967 with assistance from coastal engineers from Delft University. The seawall alignment was selected to pick up as many of the older seawalls as possible. The seawall consists of three layers, armour boulders up to 4 tonnes, secondary armour around 360 kg and a clay shale foundation layer. The seawall is 16m across and 6m high and has a front slope of 1:1.5. The seawall was tested in a wave tank to withstand attack from a 1:100 cyclone wave.
A Gold Coast Seawall costs around A$3000 per meter to construct in 2006. The seawall is constructed along a designated seawall alignment along urban sections of the Gold Coast coastline. Non-Urban sections of coastline including South Stradbroke Island
South 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...
and the 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...
Spit are not licenced for the construction of a seawall. The Gold Coast Planning Scheme requires private property owners along the beach to construct the seawall at their property at the property owners expense prior to making any investment into their house. The Council constructs sections of seawall that protect public land.
Sand Backpassing from the Gold Coast Seaway to Surfers Paradise
The Delft report recommended the stabilisation of the Gold Coast SeawayGold 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...
and the construction of a sand bypass system to pump sand from the mainland under the navigation channel to South Stradbroke Island
South 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...
. The GCSMP will examine whether 20% of the sand could instead be backpassed sustainably to the beaches of Surfers Paradise
Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Surfers Paradise is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501....
to mitigate the impact of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
Prior to stabilisation of the Gold Coast Seaway the island welding
Island welding
Island welding is a geomorphological term to describe the process of welding sandy barrier islands back on to the mainland. Often the stabilisation of coastal navigation entrances disrupts the sustainability of the island welding process....
hypothesis suggests that up to 20% of all sand moving along the Gold Coast (Longshore drift
Longshore drift
Longshore drift consists of the transportation of sediments along a coast at an angle to the shoreline, which is dependent on prevailing wind direction, swash and backwash. This process occurs in the littoral zone, and in or within close proximity to the surf zone...
) entered the Gold Coast Broadwater
Gold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater and Gold Coast Harbour, is a large shallow estuary of water reaching from the locality of Southport to the southern section of the World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay along the eastern coast of Australia...
to gradually weld islands onto the mainland.
Narrowneck Reef
In 1971 the Dutch University Delft completed a report for the Queensland State Government recommending the construction of a groyneGroyne
A groyne is a rigid hydraulic structure built from an ocean shore or from a bank that interrupts water flow and limits the movement of sediment. In the ocean, groynes create beaches, or avoid having them washed away by longshore drift. In a river, groynes prevent erosion and ice-jamming, which...
at Narrowneck. The Council examined the idea of a groyne and instead constructed an artificial reef
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-made underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, control erosion, block ship passage, or improve surfing....
to stabilise the foreshore at Narrowneck. So far the reef has worked well as a coastal control point, but has been disappointing in its secondary objective to improve surfing. A surprising benefit of the Narrowneck Reef has been its ability to attract marine growth and reef fish and is now a popular diving and fishing location. Narrowneck is particularly popular for kite surfing and longboarding.
Kurrawa Park Reef
The NarrowneckNarrowneck, Queensland
Narrowneck is the name of a narrow bit of coastline that separates the anabranch of the Nerang River from the southern end of Main Beach and the northern end of Surfers Paradise beach.-Seawalls:...
Reef was constructed as a coastal control point 1/3 of the way between Burleigh Heads
Burleigh Heads, Queensland
Burleigh Heads is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 7,606.Burleigh Heads is renowned for its surf break, and is an alternative to the more tourist ridden towns of the Gold Coast...
and the Gold Coast Seaway. The GCSMP will examine if a new reef at Kurrawa Park should be constructed at the 2/3s position to assist with the adaption of Gold Coast beaches to climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
Palm Beach Protection Strategy
In 2004 Gold Coast City Council proposed a new beach protection scheme for Palm Beach which included a new reef for 21st Avenue Palm Beach. The proposed scheme included 3 reefs and beach nourishmentBeach nourishment
Beach nourishment— also referred to as beach replenishment—describes a process by which sediment lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from sources outside of the eroding beach...
. Some in the community didn't like the idea and organised a "no reef" protest campaign that prevented the scheme being implemented.
Southern Points
The Southern Points of the Gold Coast are northern facing and provide spectacular coastal vistas and great surf.Kirra Point
A popular surfing site, surfers are concerned that sand is drowning quality surf, but there is debate about the objectivity of perception of impacts. Council is undertaking nourishment of the foreshore to bury the seawall to increase the amount of recreational parkland.Greenmount Point
Surfing waves break along a sand bank that extends from Snapper Rocks through Rainbow Bay, past Greenmount point and Coolangatta, then to Kirra. This region has been called the Superbank.Snapper Rocks
Surfers lobbied to have the sand outlet moved to improve the Surf at Snapper RocksTweed River Entrance Sandbypassing
A sand bypassing system commenced operating to deliver sand across the Tweed RiverTweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...
from New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in 2001.
Gold Coast Oceanway
The Gold Coast OceanwayGold Coast Oceanway
The Gold Coast Oceanway is a foreshoreway along beaches in Gold Coast, Queensland. The Gold Coast Oceanway is a shared use pedestrian and cyclist pathway on the Gold Coast, connecting the Point Danger lighthouse on the New South Wales and Queensland border to the Gold Coast Seaway...
is a 36 km network of pathways
Oceanway
An oceanway is a form of foreshoreway that provides sustainable public access along an oceanfront area. The terminology was derived to avoid the perception of a pavement favouring either pedestrians or cyclists ....
along Gold Coast beaches that encourages healthier
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and more sustainable
Sustainable transport
Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and includes walking and cycling, transit oriented development, green vehicles, CarSharing, and building or protecting urban transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy...
coastal lifestyles.