AUS DAY THRILLS & SPILLS
GOLD Coasters and visitors flocked to city beaches for Australia Day with tens of thousands enjoying the sun and sand.
Huge crowds hit beaches from the southern border to the Broadwater with Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ) recording 47,000 people attending across Australia Day.
Steamy conditions and blue skies saw large crowds flock to the water. But as beachgoers enjoyed their day in 30C heat some weren’t so lucky, with lifesavers kept busy throughout Tuesday with multiple neardrownings, dozens of rescues, and a shark alert forcing swimmers from the water.
Out of Queensland’s 76 rescues by lifesavers on Tuesday, 61 occurred on the Gold Coast – including one where seven people were pulled from the water at Tallebudgera about 11.45am.
One man required CPR and was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition. Four others were assessed by paramedics but declined to go to hospital.
Less than an hour later a primary school-aged girl was taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition after a near drowning in a Palm Ave, Surfers Paradise pool.
Lifesavers pleaded with people to swim between the flags amid “unstable conditions” at Coast beaches, but on land authorities said crowds had been well behaved.
Gold Coast police Inspector Bruce Kuhn said there had been large crowds, especially families, and no issues “from the border all the way to the Broadwater”.
Inspector Kuhn said large crowds were at Wavebreak Island on Tuesday afternoon.
“(Water police) have been through Currumbin and Tallebudgera creeks and there’s been a large crowd on the back of Wavebreak Island. We sent a few extra police with the water police simply because of numbers in the area but there’s been no issues,” he said.
Paramedics also responded to two near drownings at Mermaid Beach and Main Beach later in the afternoon. Lifesavers ordered swimmers and boardriders from the water at Surfers Paradise after the sighting at 10.45am of a shark attacking a school of bait fish.
Two jetskis and an inflatable rescue boat searched for the shark, as the red and yellow flags were removed.
The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter confirmed the shark had moved on, while lifesavers continued to patrol the area throughout the day as a precaution.
The beach was closed for about 15 minutes before it was reopened at 11.45am.
SLSQ Gold Coast duty officer Brent Imrie said he couldn’t praise his crews enough for the work they did across Australia Day, with a staggering 1100 preventive actions taking place to keep swimmers from rips.
“We had everything from
near drownings to bluebottles, to asthma attacks and much more,” he said.
“The beaches were heavily populated and the lifesavers did a magnificent job.
“There wasn’t one spot that didn’t see large crowds.”
The sudden beach closure proved a boost for nearby businesses as swimmers fled the sand.
Broadbeach restaurant Fat Freddy’s general manager Mark Tarrant said after the shark sighting a few people came in for beers while they waited for the beach to open again.
“It’s going good compared to last year. People are just having some food and drinks,” he said.
Gold Coast hospitality boss Scott Imlach said many people used the day to enjoy a very long weekend.
“We had a boost in business on Sunday and Monday with most people making it a four-day weekend,” he said.
“It seems the smart ones took time off work, while the others called in sick. We have been non-stop during Australia Day and are looking semibooked out for the night.”
Surfers Paradise Beach Cafe and Bar owner Arthur de Snoo told the Bulletin on Tuesday afternoon it was “wait and see” when it came to Australia Day crowds.
“We’re doing all right (during the day) but we’ll see what happens tonight, if everybody goes home or they stay out,” he said, adding the bumper crowd during the weekend had dropped off on Monday night.
“It’s hard to gauge these days. If they’re from Brisbane they’ll be home this afternoon, but if they’re in the hotels then they’ll be coming out.
“(Australia Day) is just another day really, people eating and enjoying themselves, having a good time.”