Floodwater damages jetties and pontoons on Gold Coast canals
Jetties swept away, pontoons adrift, and bull sharks circling just metres from the shore – see the full extent of ex-Cyclone Alfred’s canalfront chaos.
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Gold Coast waterfront residents are assessing the damage after heavy rain drenched the city overnight on Sunday, sending water levels surging and wreaking havoc across the city’s canal system.
Pontoons were ripped from their moorings, and jetties were left broken and adrift.
By Monday morning, social media was flooded with images and videos of rising waters — some lapping at garages and entranceways — while debris, including damaged jetties and vessels, floated through the canals.
At the Nerang River, homeowner Ashley Freeman took to social media to share the extent of the flooding.
“For everyone who thinks the worst of ex-Cyclone Alfred has passed, look at this,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday morning.
“This is the Nerang River — it’s burst its banks — it’s come up past the fence line and, in our case, it’s gone into our basement, which we converted into a gym. You can see our jetty is fully submerged there.”
By around 7pm on Sunday, she said the tide was at its peak.
“All the pontoon, backyard, and storeroom are under, and it’s just lapping at the pool. Pretty sure this is the max. Overall, feeling pretty lucky.”
Ms Freeman warned while her home sits high, others may not be so fortunate.
“I’m posting this to show how high the river has risen, which is going to impact so much of the Gold Coast that flows off the river.
“Also, there are three large caravan parks on the river right near us – it’s not just a ‘rich person river’.
“My house is up high, there may be other who aren’t so lucky. I’m not posting this for sympathy, I will be fine – I’m posting for awareness of the sheer extent of this flooding,” she said.
Culture Kings founder Simon Beard also shared footage on Monday morning, showing his submerged jetties, sandbagged windows, and water creeping up to his entranceway.
“This river is insane,” he wrote. “Tide still coming until 7pm. One wave from a boat and it’s over.”
Paradise Waters was among the worst-hit suburbs, with residents waking to find their once-secure jetties either submerged or swept away entirely. One homeowner, Jae Frazer, captured the chaos on video as water crept closer to their home’s entrance.
If rising waters weren’t dangerous enough, bull sharks were also spotted just metres from the bank at Tallebudgera Creek. Instagram user @Nicka35 posted footage of the sighting.
“Holy s**t … Just spotted this one in Talley Creek, right up against the bank. Don’t go anywhere near the water right now,” they wrote.
“It’s pretty gnarly — bigger than what I expected. Not a huge shark, but damn, he’d nip your toes off. Don’t want to be going anywhere near this thing.”
Gold Coast City Council has urged residents to stay clear of floodwaters and report any dangerous debris spotted in the waterways.
Originally published as Floodwater damages jetties and pontoons on Gold Coast canals
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