Tropical Cyclone Alfred: Gold Coast beaches heavily eroded by giant swell as lifeguard tower on brink

One Gold Coast lifeguard tower has fallen into the sea and others are teetering on the brink as the beaches are washed away. SEE THE PICTURES AND VIDEO

One Gold Coast lifeguard tower has fallen into the sea and others are teetering on the brink as the beaches are washed away.

Lifeguard tower 42 on The Spit near Philip Park fell down the steep eroded beach into the water.

The lifeguard tower and its concrete foundations fell into the sea around noon along with several trees after the heavy swell eroded the remains of the sand dunes.

The tower remains upright as surf and choppy swell crashes around its metal stilts.

The fallen tower has drawn a crowd of onlookers and rubberneckers.

Gold Coast starting to feel the wrath of Cyclone Alfred, lurking just off the coast. Main Beach bears the brunt of Cyclone . Lifeguard Tower 42 at Phillip Park falls in. Picture Glenn Hampson

Gold Coast surf life saving tower at The Spit which has fallen into the sea. Picture: Andrew Potts.

One of the #goldcoast’s famous lifeguard towers has now fallen into the sea #goldcoast#[e-mail]/j42seIVVCB

— Andrew Potts (@GCS_Pottsy) March 7, 2025

Meanwhile, lifeguard tower 40, in front of Main Beach Surf Life Saving Club stands on the edge of the sand cliff, with the fencing which normally stands alongside it hanging down towards the water as Tropical Cyclone Alfred bears down on the Coast.

It is emblematic of the huge test facing the crown jewel of Gold Coast tourism – its famed beaches which are a major drawcard for tourists.

Erosion at Main Beach near the SLSC. Picture: Facebook/David Morgan

The Main Beach site has drawing crowds of onlookers, including families who have brought their children to see the damage.

Police closed Main Beach Parade between SeaWorld Drive and Beulah Lane after midday, with officers cordoning off surrounding streets after the sand bank eroded underneath the foot path.

Officers are stopping residents from entering the area and telling them to go home.

It’s a similar sight at the lifeguard tower in central Surfers Paradise which is also right on the edge of the erosion.

Lifeguard tower 40 at Main Beach Surf Life Saving Club on the Gold Coast where the beach has heavily eroded, right up to the base of the tower's concrete pad. Trees and fencing has also fallen down the sand cliff. Picture: Andrew Potts

Further south at Narrowneck, the beach also remains heavily eroded.

A council spokesman said: The City’s beaches are closed. Queensland Police have closed The Spit due to hazardous conditions.”

Sea World Drive is completely blocked off north of Sea World Resort.

One of the #goldcoast’s famous lifeguard towers now sits on the very edge of a sand Clift as #TCAlfred’s swell erodes the beach. @GCBulletinpic.twitter.com/nvCY2ebqZT

— Andrew Potts (@GCS_Pottsy) March 6, 2025

However, the wet weather from Tropical Cyclone Alfred hasn’t stopped some living their normal lives, with one jogger spotted running north along Main Beach Parade despite the downpour as well as others out jogging through Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach tourism hubs this morning.

Trees and fencing has also fallen down the sand cliff. Picture: Andrew Potts

City CEO Tim Baker on Thursday pointed to the seawall and its reliance as being a vital test as Cyclone Alfred approaches the coastline, now expected sometime late Friday or Saturday morning, with latest forecasts saying it has slowed from an initial speed of 16km/h to three.

Mr Baker singled out Narrowneck in the north of Surfers as a hot spot for beach erosion. Other areas include the gaps at Mermaid Beach and Palm Beach where there aren’t certified walls.

“We need to steady ourselves for weeks – no matter what happens,” he said.

Beach erosion at Surfers Paradise coming right up to the Surfers Paradise lifeguard tower. Picture: Supplied by Richard Holliday.

Mr Baker highlighted the importance of the boulder wall, approved by the State Government in 1967 which runs parallel to sand dunes along the entire Coast coastline. Since the 1980s the council has aimed to build a continuous beachfront protective wall along 52km of coastline, apart from the headlands. To achieve it requires about 8.9 km of private seawalls be built.

“This is our first test of the A-line, how it will hold. We as a City as doing continual work with it,”

“We are copping it the most – this is Narrowneck. It is going to fall back to the A-line.”