Tallebudgera Creek on the Gold Coast closed amid water quality concerns, heavy rain

A lifeguard at one of the Gold Coast’s best-known and loved swimming spots has warned swimmers to stay out of the water after fishing out some sickening debris.

One of the Gold Coast’s most popular beaches has been closed amid concerns over water quality.

Tallebudgera Creek Beach was closed on Saturday after heavy rains pelted the coastline, flushing dirt and debris through waterways across the region.

The usually clear blue water remained a grimy brown Sunday morning, with the beach remaining closed to swimmers who were largely avoiding the murky water.

Tallebudgera Creek Beach is patrolled on weekends by volunteers from the Neptune Royal Lifesaving Club, which closed it to swimmers amid health concerns.

Volunteer Yvonne Curtis said she had collected human faeces from the water and bagged it up before her Saturday patrol - but some swimmers weren’t deterred from entering the water.

“It was pretty horrible - it’s not flushing out as quickly as it usually does,” she said.

“We had a lot of trouble keeping people out of the water.

“But most of them were convinced when I showed them the bag (of poo).

“You literally couldn’t see 100mm into the water it’s so dirty. We always close the beach when it looks like that, for health reasons.”

The beach was still closed at 1pm on Sunday.

Tallebudgera Creek is usually clear and blue. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Failed State candidate for Burleigh Cathy Osborne blamed the suburb’s sewerage system for the problem.

“It’s heartbreaking to see this happening to what was once voted Australia’s cleanest beach,” Ms Osborne wrote.

“This is a disgrace, not just for residents who pay some of the highest rates in the country but also for the tourists who visit and are denied the chance to enjoy this once-pristine environment.”

A sign at Tallebudgera Creek on Saturday amid water quality concerns. Photo: Cathy Osborne

Tallebudgera Creek on Saturday. Photo: Cathy Osborne

Gold Coast City Council advises swimmers to avoid the water in estuaries and creeks for three days after heavy rain, and to avoid open beaches for one day.

Swimmers should avoid entering water in water that looks discoloured, murky, or smells unpleasant.

Tallebudgera Creek, frequently voted among the world’s best swimming spots, has closed multiple times in the past 12 months, often after heavy rain.

Swimmers were told to leave the spot a year ago after a disastrous sewage leak, which was traced to a burst pipe from the Elanora wastewater treatment plant in Palm Beach.

Surfrider GC, which monitors water quality along the Coast, rated Tallebudgera Creek amber in its traffic light system for tests done on Thursday, before the heaviest rainfall.

Kirra Point, Little Dbah, Coolangatta Creek and Palm Beach Parklands were all given red lights, the poorest level of water quality.