Golden Beach foreshore works

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

The foreshore was initially impacted in the extraordinary weather events of 2021 and 2022.

Conditions at the site deteriorated quickly and erosion along the area subsequently followed due to a lack of protection along this foreshore.

Subsequent widening of the Bribie Island breakthrough has also increased the risk to the TS Onslow site and other parts of Golden Beach to coastal hazards.

Material containing asbestos was also found in 2023 and a cleanup and remediation project was initiated. 

This project aims to further prevent any asbestos from entering the passage, ensuring public safety is maintained. 

A seawall will help to “cap” this material and also prevent erosion along the foreshore.

 It also aims to reconstruct the damaged boat ramp at the Navy Cadets site and improve the parklands and beach accessibility.

Surrounding infrastructure such as roads, electricity water and sewerage infrastructure will also be protected by building a new seawall.

As part of this project, we plan to:

• construct a new 170-metre seawall from the northern extent of the site down to the mangroves south of the site
• construct a new 4-metre-wide pedestrian and vehicle ramp at the northern end of the site with terraces to allow for seating and viewing
• reconstruct the damaged boat ramp at the Navy Cadets site along with minor landscaping and improvements to the open space
• retain and preserve the beach area, and push sand back over the base of the new seawall, ramps and stairs
• remove the old foreshore protection structures in front of the TS Onslow site, such as the large concrete blocks
• upgrade a stormwater pipe within the small geosynthetic bag groyne to a large rock type structure, fitted with a duckbill backflow device, to prevent sand blockages and nuisance flooding in future years.

Work is expected to start in mid-June 2025 and be completed before December 31, 2025, weather permitting.

We will provide more information about the construction schedule and what this means for you soon.

Initially there will be removal of the old concrete blocks and boat ramp along with clearing some vegetation that is in the seawall footprint.

Following this expect large machines onsite to build the seawall and truck movements to bring in materials.

Pile drilling will also be conducted around the benches area.

Works are expected to take place 6.30am-6pm Monday to Friday.

In occasional circumstances slightly earlier or longer working times may be required along with occasional Saturday work. 

We aim to keep this practice to a minimum and allow this only when necessary.

Sunshine Coast Council would like to acknowledge the funding allocation being jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

The Department of Sport, Racing and Olympic and Paralympic Games are administering the disaster funding.

Australian Marine and Civil (AMC) was the successful tenderer. 

Royal Haskoning DHV was the lead consultant for design and permits. Manly Hydraulics Laboratories (MHL) was engaged to perform physical modelling to test for wave overtopping and structure damage on the proposed design.

The beach in front of BA319a will remain open, with signed detours in place for pedestrian safety where required.

There will be an exclusion zone around the site to keep members of the public safe.

A new beach staircase will be built at the centre of the TS Onslow site.

Overall beach/waterway access has increased to two new staircases and two 4-metre-wide ramps.

The area will remain open and accessible during construction. 

However, some minor redirections will be required. 

For your own safety, please stay clear of any works and follow the direction of signage or workers on site.

Some parking will be affected during works so we can build the wall safely.  We will do our best to minimise these impacts.

Part of the new seawall will be a combination of placed rock and concrete walls. This will form the majority of the seawall length, as this design is easily adaptable in the future by adding extra layers of rock or higher walls.

The northern section of the seawall will be built out of sandstone-coloured concrete benches (large stairs) with a 4-metre-wide beach access ramp. This will make for an area that provides high amenity and excellent beach accessibility.

The existing geobag groyne and stormwater pipe will also be upgraded to a rock structure with a backflow device to lessen the risk of upstream flooding in the future.

A physical seawall model was also built and tested at Manly Hydraulics Laboratory to confirm its design parameters were fit for purpose and its final size and height were optimised to reduce cost and material usage.

Some of the top of the concrete walls will be visible from the parkland across the seawall length.

The height of the visible wall will vary along the foreshore but is important to prevent wave overtopping.

The site will have a seawall that connects from the Nelson Street rock wall to the boundary of the TS Onslow site. 

The seawall will be higher than the current ground level to account for the changes to the tidal prism in the Passage. 

The trees along the foreshore will have to be removed to build the seawall, however some trees will be planted in the park to offset this.

The seawall will have two accesses: one ramp to help improve access for unpowered watercraft and a staircase.

After constructing the seawall, when permits allow, we will nourish the area if required to ensure the beach area is still useable for all Golden Beach residents and visitors to enjoy.

The seawall has been designed to allow adaptation into the future and accounts for a 50-year design life based on sea level rise projections for 2074 and beyond. 

It also takes into account significant storm events, as per the Australian standards.

A physical model was constructed in Manly Hydraulics Laboratories (MHL) in Sydney using a wave flume to test the design against wave overtopping and structural damage. 

As a result of rigorous testing in the wave flume, MHL were also able to verify the design parameters and will help inform future works along Golden Beach.

Previous plans and strategies activities that also fed into the design:

• 2014 Shoreline Erosion Management Plan
• 2015 Bribie Island Breakthrough Action Plan
• 2021 Council’s Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy

The project design has factored in a 300mm increase to the tidal range in the Passage caused by the Bribie Island breakthrough, along with projected sea level rise of 0.5m by 2070.

Yes, we have approval to do the work under OPW24/0383 for the council component, 2411-43260 SRA for the Queensland Government response and Marine Parks is: P-MPP-100758407.

Yes, we plan to pull sand back over the new seawall where possible. 

Minor dredging work may also be used to top up the new seawall during construction.

We remain vigilant in responding to the impacts of the regular tidal inundation.  

Due to the nature of tidal inundation, sand and debris will often be present within the open space and Council is attending as resources permit. This includes removing sand from the much-loved coastal pathway so our community can continue to enjoy beautiful recreational experiences in this amazing part of the Sunshine Coast.  

Should you notice any hazards please report to Council on 5475 7272 or via the SCC app.

We know dead plants and wood has washed up along the shoreline. 

This woody debris is classified as a marine plant and is protected under the Fisheries Act 1994. 

Council can’t remove it from the beaches unless it is determined as an immediate safety risk to the public.

Did you know this woody debris is actually an important part of the coastal environment? It acts to protect the coastline, hold sand in place and help the beach repair quicker.

We are starting our ongoing annual dredging and nourishment campaign in the Pumicestone Passage, which started Monday 28 April.

This campaign will run until mid-June and provide operational nourishment to beaches near the Powerboat Club, and on Golden Beach and Diamond Head to mitigate erosion as per our strategies outlined in our Shoreline Erosion Management Plan.

For more information visit Council’s website.

We are preparing to go out to tender for a specialist coastal engineering design firm to design a new seawall at Diamond Head from Lamerough Canal to June Street boat ramp.

The new seawall design will account for fragmentation of Bribie Island and a 2075 planning horizon with 0.5m sea level rise. Future design scenarios will also be considered as part of this.

The scope of construction works is to complete sections along the foreshore as funding permits and to replace or relocate further landward elements such as benches, shelters, fish cleaning tables and the coastal pathway which are currently at risk from inundation.

Design and permits are expected to be completed by late 2025 and the first stage of works is expected to start around mid to late March 2026.

In response to the Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS) we are carefully investigating how to manage important coastal areas through Coastal Hazard Adaptation Precinct Planning (CHAPP) investigations at Golden Beach and Caloundra (Bulcock Beach).

As part of these investigations, from 28 October to 25 November 2024 we invited our community to provide input on coastal spaces, how they use them, their values, and their ideas on how they might be adapted against coastal hazards and flooding. Participants contributed their thoughts via an online submission form, at workshops and pop-up events, and via email.

To find out more about the engagement outcomes, including some of the key concerns and ideas raised by our community for Golden Beach and Caloundra (Bulcock Beach), visit Council’s Have your Say website or view the engagement summary.

Bribie Island is part of a National Park, and Pumicestone Passage lies within the Moreton Bay Marine Park, both managed by the State Government.

The Queensland Government is responsible for managing and monitoring Bribie Island. Sunshine Coast Council offers support to the Queensland Government as needed.

Council welcomes the State Government’s recent announcement of an independent review of the Bribie Island breakthrough led by coastal engineering experts RPS and International Coastal Management. We also welcome the State Government’s strong focus on consultation with the local community to ensure your concerns are heard.

The Review Terms of Reference are available on the Queensland Government website with the project to be finalised by the end of August 2025.