Popular Spit pathway closed for safety reasons as beach recovery to tipped to take three years

Council believe full restoration of the Gold Coast’s beaches is forecast to take up to three years after the city was battered by the strongest waves seen in three decades. FULL DETAILS

Council believe full restoration of the Gold Coast’s beaches is forecast to take up to three years after the city was battered by the strongest waves seen in three decades.

Crews have battled with 15 tides over 1.8 metres since Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March, with the highest energy waves on record leaving beaches narrower than they have been in 25 years.

Worse still, the City says the coastline in 2026 is expected to have even higher tides, with the highest estimated at 2.04 metres.

It took more than two and a half years for Coast beaches to recover after Tropical Cyclone Oswald in 2013 and it is expected that due to the higher energy of Alfred, it could take up to three years for foreshores to return to normal.

Sections of The Spit track are being closed for safety reasons, with the impacts of Cyclone Alfred still being felt. Picture Glenn Hampson

A section of The Spit pathway popular with thousands of walkers has been closed off amid fears it could collapse due to ongoing erosion caused by the high tides, to the dismay of local residents like Alison Beythien.

“The walkway just passed the Sheraton is now closed. It survived Alfred but over the last two months it has been hammered by the sea and all the trees now lie on the beach,” Ms Beythien said.

“It has been a very sad time for the thousands of people who use this path daily and weekly. Mostly locals who appreciate the beauty of this coastline away from the tourist strip of Surfers.

“The original park run — oldest in Australia — uses this route as do walking groups and running clubs. The tourist spots remain a priority and the ratepayers will have to wait.”

Main Beach on the Gold Coast still showing the impact of Cyclone Alfred, three months after the weather event caused severe erosion along the northern beaches,

Residents are concerned about older walkers using an alternate route to the coastal paved path.

“The detour route is a stony hill which quite frankly is a danger to the older walkers. An older gentleman tripped onto the concrete this morning,” Ms Beythien said.

Councillor Darren Taylor confirmed the City has closed various sections of the Oceanway at Philip Park in Main Beach for safety reasons.

“We urge everyone to avoid using the pathway in this area as there is a possibility it could collapse due to scarping from the ongoing high tides,” he said.

“The City beaches are currently experiencing the highest tides of the year and some of the highest energy waves in the past 30 years. It is anticipated conditions will remain challenging over the next two to three months and then gradually improve.

“Once this latest round of tides and swell has subsided, a damage assessment will be conducted to determine if sections of the path can remain or must be removed.”

Sections of The Spit track are being closed by the Gold Coast City Council. The reason is ongoing foreshore erosion after Cyclone Alfred.

Council believe full restoration of the Gold Coast’s beaches could take up to three years after the city was battered by the strongest waves seen in three decades. Picture Glenn Hampson

Mayor Tom Tate also urged residents to be patient and follow safety directions by not accessing closed off areas.

The Mayor has faced criticism from residents, having pledged to buy ratepayers a beer if 80 per cent of beaches were not opened by Easter. The north of the city has proved challenging, while shocking scarping at Surfers Paradise caused the scrapping of the Pacific Airshow.

“Reinstating safety and access to our beaches is our number one priority but long-term natural recovery takes time,” Mr Tate said.

“Whilst our southern beaches are recovering well, we lost millions of cubic metres of sand from our northern beaches and high tides as well as repeated swell events continue to re-erode progress.”

Main Beach Association leader Sue Donovan said residents were surprised by the closures at The Spit.

“Residents and Parkrun participants are shocked to witness the ongoing destruction of the path that runs northwards past the Southport Surf Club. The damage currently taking place is much worse than what took place during the heavy seas of Cyclone Alfred,” she said.

A section of The Spit pathway popular with thousands of walkers has been closed off amid fears it could collapse due to ongoing erosion caused by the high tides, to the dismay of local residents. Picture Glenn Hampson

WHAT COUNCIL IS DOING TO FIX BEACHES

* Crews are working daily on beach debris clean up, scarping knockdowns, securing accessways at all 28 beaches, dredging, protection works, sand trucking and water quality testing and monitoring.

* More than one million cubic metres of sand is being placed on our beaches to accelerate recovery within 12 months after the cyclone. The offshore dredge has resulted in more than 240,000 cubic metres of sand being delivered with operations ongoing.

Council believe full restoration of the Gold Coast’s beaches could take up to three years after the city was battered by the strongest waves seen in three decades. Picture Glenn Hampson

* The Surfers Paradise Sand Backpass Campaign which redistributes sand from areas of accumulation to erosion-prone zones using specialised equipment will go longer, to December. Several hundred thousand cubic metres of sand will be provided across the next two years.

* A dune restoration program will begin soon at six pilot locations across the City, boosting growth of the foreshore areas.

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Originally published as Popular Spit pathway closed for safety reasons as beach recovery to tipped to take three years