Bribie Island breakthrough

Our actions focus on protecting Golden Beach foreshore. As well as the important community areas like roads, parks, and playgrounds.

The Queensland Government is responsible for the management and monitoring of Bribie Island as it is a national park. We offer support to the Queensland Government as needed.

Guided by this plan (PDF, 11.72MB), we have been preparing for a breakthrough at Bribie Island since 2014. Our actions to date include:

• sand renourishment - annual dredging of the Pumicestone Passage to renourish the sand along Golden Beach
• monitoring - regular monitoring of the area through beach surveys along Golden Beach. This provides a long term and reliable source of data, used as a base for decisions
• infrastructure upgrades - replacing the degraded geotextile bag groynes with rock structures at Oxley Street, Leichardt Street, Wills Avenue and Jellicoe Street. These rock structures:
  • help to keep more sand in place
  • limit the channel moving further west
  • give the structures a longer life.

We have also upgraded some degraded seawalls along the foreshore. Please visit the Golden Beach foreshore works page for more information on these seawall projects.

Coastal hazard adaptation strategy

This action plan also aligns with the coastal hazard adaptation strategy (CHAS), which aims to better understand and plan for current and future impacts of coastal hazards and identify innovative management options to make our coastal areas and communities more resilient.

It lists the key hazards at coastal locations across the Sunshine Coast and the adaptation response.

For the Pumicestone Passage and Golden Beach, this includes:

• a focus on maintenance and upgrade of groynes and seawall infrastructure
• reviewing planning controls
• encouraging resilient homes
• drainage investigations
• beach nourishment and coordination of risk mitigation at Fraser Park.

Due to the breakthrough, water level monitoring has shown increases equivalent to the predicted 2041 conditions (pre Bribie Island breakthrough). The CHAS outlines our response, and the actions above are already underway.

See page 98 to 109 of part A of the coastal hazard adaptation strategy for more information on Golden Beach management options.

Coastal Hazard Adaptation Precinct Planning (CHAPP) investigations

Council is currently undertaking Coastal Hazard Adaptation Precinct Planning (CHAPP) investigations at Golden Beach and Caloundra (Bulcock Beach).

The investigations are looking at different ways to make our public places stronger and more resilient against changes caused by coastal hazards and flooding.

Further information can be found on Council's CHAPP webpage.