Efforts to combat erosion and storm damage are stepping up along a vulnerable Sunshine Coast beach.
A host of protective works is underway or in planning at multiple sites along Golden Beach, to combat the impacts of tidal breakthroughs at Bribie Island and climate change.
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said works were being undertaken as part of the Bribie Island Breakthrough Action Plan.
“It includes upgrading seawalls, building new beach accesses, raising sections of the Coastal Pathway and other foreshore works, with the work being done in stages,” they said.
The map below shows projects including: groyne upgrades at Oxley Street, Leichardt Street, Wills Avenue and Jellicoe Street; a completed seawall at the Esplanade between Jellicoe and Nelson streets; an under-construction seawall from the TS Onslow Australian Naval Cadets site to Nelson Street; and a planned seawall at Diamond Head between Lamerough Canal and the June Street boat ramp.
The yellow lines show the project areas while the red lines show investigation areas.
The planned seawall a Diamond Head is set to protect the southern section of the beach.
“Parts of the rock wall and foreshore were damaged by big storms, high tides and erosion,” the spokesperson said.
“These problems started after the breakthrough and got worse during Tropical Cyclone Alfred and other weather events.
“We have contracted coastal engineering firm JB Pacific to complete detailed design work for coastal protection works and drainage improvements.”
Design and permits are expected to be completed this year and the first stage of works is expected to start in March. The project is backed by all levels of government but council will apply for further funding.
The spokesperson said temporary fixes were being put in place in the meantime. That includes realigning the pathway – with work to start this month – and construction of a sandstone wall.
“We have completed installing a sandstone retaining wall, which can be used as seating at the Military Jetty shelter, and additional temporary sandstone block walls at Military Jetty and the Military Jetty boat ramps.
“We are now extending the sandstone block wall at hotspots further south to provide better protection and reduce the amount of sand on the pathway, where it cannot be realigned.”
Large rocks are also being placed along the most eroded sections of the foreshore to help stabilise the area.
“We anticipate reusing these blocks in the final seawall reconstruction at a later date,” they said.
Council has also removed sand build-up and replaced an ageing picnic table.
“Although these works haven’t completely resolved the issues of the area, as we continuously inspect and remove sand, it will help slow the sand build-up,” the spokesperson said.
Council has also completed works to repair the revetment wall at the entrance to Lamerough Canal at Pelican Waters. The work involved adding rock to strengthen the wall structure.
Efforts have also been made to address stormwater.
“We have extended the existing stormwater discharges on the northern side of the Power Boat Club and have scheduled the second extension of the existing stormwater discharge at the Military Jetty carpark near 126 the Esplanade. We’ve extended these existing stormwater pipes to help them work properly again,” they said.
“Over time, tidal movements in the passage have caused sand to build up and block the stormwater outlets, stopping water from draining as it should. By extending the pipes further out, stormwater and salt water can now flow out more easily, helping to reduce flooding on nearby roads and parklands.
“While big tides may still bring salt water onto the roadway verge and parklands, these upgrades will improve overall drainage. We’ll continue to monitor the sites to make sure everything is working as expected.”
A community engagement process is scheduled for November, when residents and stakeholders will be invited to provide feedback on the future of the area.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson said works were “progressing well” to build the new 208m seawall from TS Onslow to Nelson Street.
“The foreshore was initially impacted in the extraordinary weather events of 2021 and 2022, with subsequent widening of the Bribie Island breakthrough increasing the coastal hazard risk to the site and other parts of Golden Beach,” they said.
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“This project will protect the valuable park, coastal pathway and road near the seawall from coastal hazards. It will provide better access to the water, with overall beach and waterway access increasing to two new staircases and two four-metre-wide ramps.”
“We’ll also reconstruct the damaged boat ramp at the Navy Cadets site, enhance the surrounding parklands, improve beach accessibility and the coastal pathway along the esplanade. This will also include steps to manage the material containing asbestos found on some sections of the TS Onslow site.
“We are working with the successful tenderer, Australian Marine and Civil.”
The project, backed by all levels of government, required a large piling rig and crane to be onsite for structural concrete works. With the piling works coming to an end, the equipment was set to be removed from the site by an oversized vehicle on August 8 and 11.
“We are on track to be completed by December, weather depending,” the spokesperson said.
A seawall has already been completed at the Esplanade, between Jellicoe and Nelson Streets.
The project included reconstructing and raising about 80m of the existing seawall using grouted rock and installing special concrete tiles, to create a ‘living seawall’ with habitat for marine creatures.
Sunshine Coast councillor Terry Landsberg previously detailed why the works were done.
“This work to protect the foreshore is in response to the Bribie Island breakthrough,” he said.
“The breakthrough resulted in this part of the foreshore becoming frequently inundated adjacent to the barbecue shelter.”
A string of other seawalls are planned in the greater region, including at Moffat Beach, Kings Beach, Mooloolaba and Noosa Main Beach.
