Broadwater dredging to add land, not remedy silting
by Jeni Bone on 6 May 2009
From the air, moving sand bars and shallow straits are clearly visible. Jeni Bone
Much is being said and written about current dredging on the Gold Coast Broadwater – part of a massive parkland project which will add nearly 4 hectares to public green space. After so many years of debate, the dredgers and their pumps are a welcome sight. But what then?
Once Queensland’s 150th Anniversary celebrations are just fond memories, (and valuable election points), who will take on the responsibility for maintaining the Broadwater against the creeping, choking sand?
Spend a day on or around the Broadwater and you will realize why this impeccable waterway deserves every last cent Gold Coast City Council and the Queensland government plan to spend on dredging – and much more to maintain and retain the tourist and marine dollars it attracts.
It’s a typical, blazing-sun day in paradise: Visitors and locals mingle on the foreshores of either side of the Broadwater, whether high-tea at Palazzo Versace – the 5-star pile on the Main Beach side adjacent to Marina Oceanus – or wading in the shallows along the beach at Southport van park opposite.
There are tinnies weighed down with fishers and their rods, kayakers, inflatables, houseboats and barges. A three-masted sloop has plied the waters for a week, looking like a remnant of Captain Cook’s day. A couple of Sundays ago there was a triathlon around The Spit, lending anticipation to the air.
By 10am, the trawlers are disgorging an encyclopedia of marine life, including massive tuna and net loads of prawns, much to the delight of the gathered seabirds and a coach-load of sunburnt tourists, eager to snap and snap up the boats’ slippery bounty.
Jet skis like so many mozzies, are darting around the sailing craft, sleek motoryachts and fishing charters as they all take advantage of the changing tide and scamper out across the treacherous bar. Reminding us of the risks, the Volunteer Coast Guard and Water Police are among them – adding to the fascinating panoply that unfolds here, day in day out. Winking beacons and azure LEDs assure us that the activity is also nocturnal.
Despite generations of marketing emphasis on its beaches, the Gold Coast’s Broadwater – from Southport to World Heritage-listed Moreton Bay – is the deserved marine heart of the region.
A Q150 project to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the state, dredging of the Gold Coast’s most important waterway has been underway for three weeks.
We are talking massive numbers – many millions of dollars as part of a $36m parklands project, 110,000cubic metres of sand, and investment in the future tourism and marine industries focused around south-east Queensland.
Michael Parrish, from the GC Council department of Special Projects observes that while dredging is a part of the project, it’s not the focus. 'This is not so much a dredging of the Broadwater, but Queensland Transport and Council using this opportunity to take sand from the main navigation channels. We only need 110,000m³, which is a lot. But we are not involved in plans for further dredging or maintenance.'
Sand dredged from the Broadwater will be funneled in to two new sections of the Southport Broadwater Parklands.
The dredging and parklands expansion are among several major Gold Coast projects announced last week by the State Government, fuelling speculation an election is imminent. And, again, marine proponents will have to petition government to take control of the Broadwater’s future with a commitment to financing future dredging works. But at this stage, Councilors, the media and marine industry are just glad some investment is being made, regardless.
The sand will make around 3 hectares of additional public space in the south and 1.5 in the northern area, land which has been designed and reinforced to weather the test of tides.
As Parrish explains: 'There’s a lot more to it than just dumping sand on the mainland. It has been constructed to last, and will be protected and planted out to ensure it doesn’t go anywhere.'
The first area to the south will be planted with dune vegetation, lawn and casuarina shade trees and will have beach access. The second area, to the north, will be an environmental zone that will include a 1.2ha fish and mangrove habitat and visitor interpretation pathway.
The council will pay $1.2 million towards the dredging, with the State Government contributing $300,000.
Gold Coast City Marina director Dean Leigh-Smith says the marine sector will benefit when the 12-month job to deepen the Broadwater is completed. 'I'm happy that the Broadwater will be dredged. It goes without saying that major projects bring benefits and it's a very positive step forward.
'A lack of infrastructure has contributed to the downturn seen on the Gold Coast and by delivering these projects it will ensure the industries can bounce back and remain strong.'
As for an opening date, Parrish says that it will all be finished in time for the state’s 150 year celebration, but contractors and Council are in discussions as to whether to open each section as its finished or hold a grand opening.
More at www.goldcoastdredging.qld.gov.au
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