Erosion blocks coast ‘highway’ from Rainbow Beach to Double Island Pt

Drivers taking the coastal route between Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point will once again be able to make the trip, but are being urged to take care as there was still only a small window open.

Drivers planning a summer trip between Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point will need to head inland with access between the two popular tourist spots cut by beach erosion. Picture: Facebook, The Ice Man.

Drivers on the beach “highway” between Double Island and Rainbow Beach are being urged to take care, with access between the two once again possible around low tide.

The tourist stretch was cut in the lead up to Australia Day after months of heavy rainfall caused erosion to the beach and exposed fallen trees.

The blockage was revealed in social media posts on Australia Day, including from Cooloola Coast beach stalwart The Ice Man and on community pages.

They included an image captured by the Ice Man showing the extent of the problem with “more sand gone from around the sticks this morning”.

“The sticks” is a well known landmark on the drive between Double Island Point and Rainbow Beach.

He said the image was taken when the water was 1.2m high and showed “there is no access”.

Bureau of Meteorology data showed Double Island point had received 183.4mm of rain since the start of January 2025.

Drivers on the beach “highway” between Double Island and Rainbow Beach are being urged to take care access between the two once again possible in the hours around low tide. Picture: Facebook, The Ice Man.

This included 82.4mm on Sunday, January 12.

Another 181.8mm fell in December 2024, and more than 100mm was recorded across each of October and November.

25In total, almost 400mm of rain was recorded on the Cooloola Coast from October 2024 to late January 2025.

On Tuesday, January 28, a Department of Environment spokesman said drivers were able to get through at certain times of the day.

“For safety reasons, drivers should travel at low tide, or within two hours either side of low tide,” the spokesman said.

“The road rules must be obeyed, and drivers should be aware that beach conditions can change very quickly.”

A post sharing the Ice Man’s photo of the erosion on the Fraser Coast Community News Facebook page at the weekend said the blocked access was “concerning”.

It said the “ongoing erosion had raised concerns among locals and visitors who were “watching as the beach’s sand continues to disappear”.

Mick Watts said in a post under the image the erosion was “just nature doing its thing”.

“Next storm or king tides will bring the sand back as it always has over the centuries,” Mr Watts said.

The erosion did not deter everyone from trying to pass.

Second child bitten by dingo at Lake McKenzie

Juliane Crawford said some people “were driving through that yesterday with water over their bonnets”.

The erosion is the latest in more than a decade of shifting sands on the tourist stretch, with landslides and sinkholes reshaping the coastline – and campers’ access – numerous times.

These include a monster sandslip in January 2024 which cut the coast “highway” for several days, and a sinkhole caught on wildlife rangers’ cameras in June.

Originally published as Erosion blocks coast ‘highway’ from Rainbow Beach to Double Island Pt