New sinkhole opens up at Inskip Point Anzac Day 2024

Visitors to Inskip Point have caught an underwater landslide opening up between two campgrounds as thousands of day trippers poured into the area for the faux “long weekend”. VIDEO, PHOTOS

An underwater landslide has opened up another sinkhole on Inskip Point as thousands of campers and day trippers descended there for the unofficial Anzac Day long weekend.

The sinkhole was videotaped as it was happening on the beach between the Sarawak and Beagle camping zones on Anzac Day by Cooloola Cove resident Raewyn Rankin.

The underwater landslides are a common occurrence on the peninsula, but never fail to be dramatic and attract plenty of attention.

In September 2015, about 300 campers had to be evacuated when a 200m-wide hole opened up and swallowed a caravan, 4WD, trailer, tents, and trees up to 8m in height.

Campers Patricia and Don Downing were sleeping only 100m from that sinkhole when it opened up about 10.30pm.

Other guests reported hearing a loud “roar” as the hole opened.

Map of Inskip Point showing the Sarawak and Beagle campgrounds at the northern end of Inskip - the sinkhole has opened up in between those two camping area.

In September 2018, another sinkhole opened at the peninsula not far from where two others had been reported.

One witness said this hole was wider than the 2015 event.

In April 2021, a sinkhole swallowed up the beach where cars and vehicles had been loading onto the Fraser Island barge only hours earlier, and the most recent occurred in June 2023.

In June 2023, another near shore landslide near a barge landing area was monitored by local parks and wildlife rangers, and areas at risk of being caught up in it were fenced off for a time.

Attempts to contact Rainbow Beach parks and wildlife on April 26 were unsuccessful.

Visitors to Inskip Point have caught a sinkhole opening up on Inskip Point on Anzac Day as hundreds of campers poured into the area for the faux long weekend. Photo credit: Raewyn Rankin.

A Department of Environment and Sciences spokesman said just before Christmas 2023 the sinkholes were “near-shore landslips or landslides”.

“Inskip Point is itself a sandy finger of land that has been built up by wind and waves,” the spokesman said.

“The peninsula is susceptible to these natural occurrences, where a large body of sand moves quickly, forming an underwater scarp (or small cliff) that moves rapidly inshore as the sand debris moves out to sea.”

Waves, winds, and currents heavily impact Inskip’s coastlines, and it was “ not possible to predict when a landslip may happen”.

There was also “no evidence” tourists were causing them to occur.

To ensure the safety of visitors, a buffer zone exists between the campgrounds and the foreshore, reducing any impact on the

vegetation which helps stabilise the area.

Geological reviews of the peninsula undertaken following the September 2015 event reveal records of sinkholes at Inskip dating back to at least January 1873.