Dredging has begun to deepen the tidal entrance to Pumicestone Passage at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast after two other channels that broke through Bribie Island during storms were sealed.
The Bribie Island “breakthroughs” have changed the nature of the Bulcock Beach and Golden Beach areas of Caloundra where tens of thousands of people holiday every year.
The Pumicestone Passage previously met the sea in a channel in front of popular Bulcock Beach. Since storms cut through Bribie Island in recent years, that channel has been blocked by sand, creating a new surf beach in the area known as Happy Valley.
The Passage, which runs between the mainland and Bribie Island, now meets the sea further south but the shift created risks for some areas of the beach, prompting emergency works to stabilise the coastal system.
The Queensland Government announced on Friday that the next phase of emergency dredging works, connecting Pumicestone Passage’s tidal entrance to the northern section of the Passage, were now underway.
The other two island breakthroughs were sealed in November last year.
The emergency dredging is expected to take about eight weeks to complete, and a pipeline will be temporarily sunk across the tidal entrance.
During the dredging campaign, access between the northern and southern sections of the Passage will be limited to smaller vessels.
The Government said in a statement that beach nourishment works were also continuing, with dredgers pumping sand along a 2km stretch of Bribie Island to create an erosion buffer.
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said the work would protect the Caloundra community and an important local coastal system.
“This next phase of dredging is a significant step forward and will improve water circulation, water quality and navigational access for the entire system,” he said.
“Once these works are complete, the Caloundra Coast Guard will be able to return to their permanent headquarters at Bulcock Beach.”
Queensland’s Coordinator-General, Gerard Coggan, said the emergency works would lay the groundwork for long-term solutions to the changed conditions in the area.
He said updates for mariners regarding access restrictions were available through Maritime Safety Queensland Notices to Mariners.
According to the website set up to provide updates on the works, the Bribie Island emergency works have so far involved:
- Closing and stabilising two of the passage breakthroughs of Bribie Island
- Renourishing the Bribie Island segment between the breakthroughs and the tidal entrance to Pumicestone Passage with a sand erosion buffer
- Creating a channel between the northern end of Pumicestone Passage and the tidal entrance at breakthrough
While work is ongoing, people using the area have been urged to:
- Observe speed restrictions
- Stay clear of the dredgers and all operational areas, including sand stockpiles
- Stay alert to the constantly changing conditions of the tidal entrance
- check MSQ for Notice to Mariners relating to Bribie Island and Pumicestone Passage
For more details on works in the area, go to www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/coordinator-general/bribie-island-emergency-works
