A community group championing the protection and restoration of Bribie Island has described an independent review of the Bribie breakthrough as a “turning point” for the area.
The Deputy Premier and Member for Kawana Jarrod Bleijie announced the review hours before the Pumicestone Passage Catchment Board held a public presentation on changes at Bribie and potential solutions on Monday night.
More than 500 people, including representatives from all three levels of government, attended the meeting at the Caloundra RSL.
Buoyed by the support and the state government’s announcement, PPCMB spokesperson Jen Kettleton-Butler said the tide seemed to be turning after decades of inaction on erosion at Bribie.
“I think we’ve shifted the needle a little bit,” she said.
Bribie Island has been a subject of public attention since rough weather whipped up by Tropical Cyclone Alfred began carving a second breakthrough into the island in late February and water began washing across other points.
The first breakthrough occurred in early 2022 when Tropical Cyclone Seth wreaked havoc along the coast but the Department of Environment has taken the view that it is simply nature at work.
The breakthroughs have prompted concern about the island’s ability to continue to protect the mainland from being battered by surf and storm surges.
Ms Kettleton-Butler said the review promised more than other reports to date because it would be independent and would have the power to make recommendations in urgent circumstances.
“The more I think about it, it’s an excellent result for us because it’s independent. There’s been an external expert coming in with another set of eyes,” she said.
Ms Kettleton-Butler presented a report by the PPCMB on the Bribie situation and possible remedies at the public meeting.
She quoted research saying Caloundra was “one of the few coastal communities of its size that hasn’t trained its entrance”.
Caloundra Coast Guard Commander Roger Pearce told the meeting the current bar was shallow and then dropped to a depth of six to seven metres, creating a situation where “waves stand up”.
“We’re busier than we’ve ever been,” he said.
Ms Kettleton-Butler said unusual movements of sand in the area warranted further investigation.
She referred to past research that described the rate of erosion as disproportionate to the storm activity in the area.
She said the natural process of erosion was not countered by the same natural accretion of sand, and that of the sand from the dredging of the shipping channel off the island should be returned to it rather than sold for other projects.
“We support shipping and the Port of Brisbane. We just want a little bit of our sand back,” she said.
Aaron Salyer, of coastal engineering firm ICM, explained the concept of the Gold Coast’s A-line, a seawall of boulders buried under sand as a last line of fortification against erosion.
“I reckon we need a C-line,” Ms Kettleton-Butler said.
Member for Caloundra Kendall Morton told the meeting that Bribie Island and Pumicestone Passage, along with Caloundra Road, had been the top two issues raised when she had door-knocked in the community prior to the 2024 state election.
Ms Morton told the meeting the independent review announced by the government was a huge step forward, pointing out that it could make recommendations for urgent action.
“The reports that have informed two levels of government in the last two decades, that was then. Now it’s about moving forward,” she said.
The meeting was also attended by Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace, the state Environment Minister and Member for Glass House Andrew Wallace, Sunshine Coast Council mayor Rosanna Natoli and councillor Terry Landsberg, as well as members of the PPCMB exectuive.
Ms Kettleton-Butler said it was good to see all levels of government interested in working together on the issue.
