100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

'Spectacular': see how island and waterway have changed since tidal breakthrough

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

Weather-worn bridges to get long-awaited revamp

Two ageing wooden bridges to the north of the Sunshine Coast are set to be replaced with more durable, flood-resilient structures. The Harrys Creek Road More

Going strong: popular parkrun notches milestone

Runners residing in one of the Coast’s newest residential estates have hit a big community fitness milestone. Active residents at Harmony in Palmview celebrated the More

Jane Stephens: surprises in store for second-class shoppers

“The customer comes first” is a business philosophy that puts clientele at the centre of decision making, creating positive experiences at every touchpoint from More

Member spotlight: legal know-how and community connection

In partnership with the Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce, Sunshine Coast News is featuring the group members who are driving our local economy forward. From entrepreneurs More

Photo of the day: hanging out

“Love is in the air and dinner time approaches,” writes Margaret Wells. If you have a photo of the day offering, email photo@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. Photos must More

Bumper payday: woman stunned by $1m win

A Sunshine Coast woman's regular morning commute took an unexpected turn when she was told she had won $1 million. The motorist was in traffic More

It’s been two years since the Pacific Ocean crashed through Bribie Island and set off a chain reaction of events in the northern reaches of the Pumicestone Passage.

The breakthrough, associated with heavy seas and wild weather, cut the island in two and dramatically altered its surrounds.

The area has been in a constant state of flux since as it changes with the ebb and flow of the ocean.

Water has rushed where it did not, and slowed where it once gushed. Sand has amassed in new spots and disappeared from others.

Scroll down for timelapse videos

Caloundra Coast Guard Roger Pearce said it was amazing to see the area transform in 24 months.

“It’s the most spectacular thing I’ve seen on the Coast, and it’s ended up with worldwide coverage,” he said.

“The biggest difference now is there’s a massive delta of sand coming out of the passage, going nearly 300m out to sea.”

He said the area was always changing.

“Every day,” he said, before adding that severe weather would have a major impact.

“All bets would be off,” he said. “We just don’t know what a big storm and swell would do to the sand.”

Check out the timelapse videos below, courtesy of images from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap.

The first video shows the northern end of the passage, including the Caloundra Bar and the emergence of the Bribie Island breakthrough. The second video focuses on the Caloundra Bar and the third video focuses on the breakthrough.

Please note, the images are intended to show the general nature of the environment changing. The images were taken at various times of day, so are likely affected by different tide levels.

The northern end of the Pumicesone Passage

Aerial imagery by Nearmap

The Caloundra Bar

Aerial imagery by Nearmap

The Bribie breakthrough

Aerial imagery by Nearmap

The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.

Help us deliver more news by registering for our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share