Sinkhole forms at Inskip Point beach

A SINKHOLE reported being up to 7.5m deep, has formed at a popular southeast Queensland beach.

A LARGE hole has opened up on a popular Queensland beach, not far from one that swallowed a caravan, a car and tents a few years ago.

It’s believed the hole, at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach, opened up overnight, with footage taken from the air on Monday showing it reaching back to the tree line.

Aerial footage of the sinkholeat Inskip Point. Picture: Rainbow Beach Helicopters

Diana Journeaux, from Rainbow Beach Helicopters, says the hole is just a few hundred metres from the spot where another hole opened up in September 2015, forcing campers to flee as their gear was swallowed.

That incident forced the evacuation of the MV Beagle campground and left authorities struggling to retrieve expensive gear, including a caravan, a car, a trailer and tents.

Ms Journeaux said the hole wasn’t there when crews flew over on Sunday. She said it wasn’t in exactly the same spot as the 2015 hole but was very close by.

A supplied aerial image of a hole forming at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach. Picture: Rainbow Beach Helicopters

“We fly every day and it wasn’t there yesterday,” she said.

“We don’t know the story behind it yet.” Greg Pearce, who is skipper with Double Island Point Fishing Charters, said he travelled past the spot in his boat at about 5.15am on Monday.

He took a video showing the water lapping heavily eroded sand banks that hugged the scrubby tree line.

“That was beach yesterday afternoon - there were people walking along that section,” he said.

“We could see (the hole) forming, could see stirred up water and the beach eroding.” He said the hole was about 100 metres wide when they left to continue their fishing expedition.

Mr Pearce said it was unlikely to affect the MV Beagle campground, as they moved the sites back from the beach after the 2015 incident.

Park rangers are believed to be inspecting the hole.

Footage was posted and hundreds of people have commented, with one man, Dan Lotz, saying “soon there would be no beach left”.