DUNE AND DUSTED
HAVING shifted enough sand to fill 15,000 swimming pools, the dredge which has plied Gold Coast beaches for the past 16 weeks finishes work today. Find out what it has achieved.
THE huge dredge working off the Gold Coast for the past four months will today complete a world first project tailoring sandbars to create ideal surfing conditions while helping to protect the coastline.
The Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal the lengths engineers went to during the $13.9 million project to ensure the benefits from the works lasted for the next 15 years.
Council plans reveal that the 111m Balder R dredge dumped three million cubic metres offshore as it worked along the coastline from Surfers Paradise to Palm Beach.
Coastal engineer Shannon Hunt said workers drew upon more than 50 years of coastal science to pinpoint where sand should be placed.
“This particular approach is unique,” said Mr Hunt, who is also a keen surfer. It hasn’t been done by anyone else, it’s been a very specific design in the placement patterns.
“We weren’t going to dredge one straight sandbar from the Spit down to Palm Beach to create a big close out (dumping wave).”
By targeting certain areas, larger sand bars which create good surf have sprung up offshore at Palm Beach, Mermaid Beach, Nobby Beach and Surfers Paradise which will remain in place dependent
on weather. More than 930,000 cubic metres of sand has been dumped in Miami from North Burleigh to Nobby Beach which has created a left to right breaking wave near Miami Headland.
Mermaid Beach received 585,000 cubic metres, Surfers Paradise 565,000, Broadbeach 485,000 and Palm Beach 465,000.
Sand was deposited close to the surf zone and out deeper on the storm bars which limit the impact of waves during storms.
Mr Hunt said natural weather patterns would continue to push sand towards the beach in coming months and years.