Gold Coast beach restoration, dredging delayed due to poor weather

Dredging along the Gold Coast to pump sand back onto its world famous beaches has been delayed. Read the latest.

Dredging along the Gold Coast to pump sand back onto the beaches has been delayed due to large swells and high tides.

Restoration work after ex-tropical cyclone Alfred in March was expected to be completed by mid-May but Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate revealed on Thursday dredging would need to continue for at least another four weeks.

“We initially booked the dredger for eight weeks but Mother Nature brought some high tides and big swells,” he said.

“We couldn’t send the dredger out every day to do the work (because of the conditions).”

Mr Tate said 200,000 cubic metres of sand had been dredged and it would continue to move along the coast, focusing on the most vulnerable parts of the beach.

Sand being pumped at Surfers Paradise on the weekend. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“The northern beaches got an added 20,000 cubic metres of sand that was stock piled and spread across,” he said.

“(They) take a lot more work and it will be a couple more weeks before we can open them up.

“It’s looking good.

“I don’t want (the dredger) to leave our shores until we’re finished.”

But dredging could take longer than the expected tide if poor weather conditions continue.

Mr Tate said large swells in recent days had impacted some restoration efforts.

“The sand hasn’t moved as much as Alfred so we can rectify it easily,” he said.

“There are more high tides coming and if they do minimal damage, then we are on track for four weeks.”

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate speaks to media about the dredger pumping sand off Surfers Paradise. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Mr Tate said restoring Surfers Paradise was a priority so that it would be “pristine” ahead of the Pacific Airshow in August.

Despite the delay, he said other efforts to restore the beach were progressing well.

“The entry and exit points to the beach have been reported to me as safe and restored and that was priority one,” he said.

“If you want to go to the beach, you should be able to get there and come back easily.

“I would have been disappointed if that had not been rectified but I believe we did that within the first two weeks.”

More than $10m is expected to be spent to restore the Coast’s world famous beaches.

In March, Mr Tate promised 80 per cent of beaches would be back to their former glory and opened for the Easter break or he would shout residents a beer.

Sand being pumped in at Main Beach and Surfers Paradise. Picture: Glenn Campbell