Repairing Gold Coast beaches to cost about $300,000 after Cyclone Oma

All beaches across the Gold Coast are expected to be reopened today after ex-Tropical Cyclone Oma’s strong winds and huge waves wreaked havoc, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

ALL Gold Coast beaches are expected to be opened today as council works quickly to repair the damage inflicted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Oma.

Workers will today turn their attention to fixing scarping at Narrowneck in the hope that the city’s coastline will be back to normal by the weekend.

The clean-up bill is expected to cost $300,000.

CYCLONE OMA BRINGING HUGE WAVES TO COAST

Sand erosion at Narrowneck due to Tropical Cyclone Oma. Picture: Jerad Williams

“We will be taking advantage of reduced swells and winds to quickly restore the beaches to their best,” Mayor Tom Tate said yesterday.

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Beaches from north Surfers Paradise to The Spit were the most affected by the high winds and king tide that battered the Coast late last week and at the weekend, with scarps of up to five metres in sections.

Minor scarping from Miami to Mermaid has already been fixed.

Cr Tate said sand had been transported from a council stockpile on The Spit to required areas.

‘WE’RE REMOVING ANYTHING NOT BOLTED DOWN’

Sand erosion at Narrowneck due to Tropical Cyclone Oma. Picture: Jerad Williams

“Good news is that as we’re using our sand that has been stockpiled. It appears we have plenty of sand to bring our beaches up to their wonderful pristine standard.”

With swells calming, all Gold Coast beaches from Surfers Paradise south to Rainbow Bay were open yesterday.

Acting Chief Lifeguard Chris Maynard expected the remaining beaches to be opened today.

Two-metre walls of sandbags had replaced bi-fold doors to protect the Rick Shores restaurant on the lower floor of the Burleigh Pavilion, which is built on the rocky shoreline of the headland.

Gold Coast City Council machinery working on sand erosion at Main Beach. Picture: Jerad Williams

Burleigh Pavilion manager John Forest said temporarily removing the doors and using sandbags had been the right decision, with some interesting objects found in the clean-up of the restaurant and the unused indoor pool at the complex.

“With the amount of debris that came through, the glass would have been damaged,” he said.

“Some of the peaking waves went over the sandbags and they had a bit of water in the front section.

“We probably had a good foot-deep of water in the bottom of pools but not a great deal.

“It brought in sand, shells, and we found a bicycle washed in the bottom of the pool which was a bit odd.”

Cyclone Oma is agony for some and ecstasy for others. Staff at Rick Shores at Burleigh Pavilion fight a desperate battle against the king tide and big surf by sandbagging the windows. Picture Glenn Hampson

The bi-fold doors were back in place.

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Mr Forest said considering the size and power of the seas, they had been lucky.

“The swell was pretty huge and one of my staff said they saw a guy being pulled on to a wave on a jetski and the wave was four times his height — it was pretty intense,” he said.

“Fortunately with the direction the waves were coming from the south, they swung by the building and headed to the beach, but if the waves were coming from the north we could have had more of a problem with tidal water coming in.

“We were lucky this time.”

Burleigh Pavilion and Rick Shores had stayed open the entire weekend.