JAIME-LEE WOODS
Gold Coast beaches are undergoing maintenance ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
With more than double the Gold Coast’s population expected to attend the event, the council is working to ensure our beaches will be ready for the world stage.
A spokesperson for City of Gold Coast said their Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project (GCBNP)’ will improve beach conditions.
“The project aims to increase the volume of sand available along vulnerable sections of our coastline to buffer against future storms and coastal erosion,” they said.
“A vessel will take approximately three million cubic metres of clean sand from our offshore sand reserve closer to the shoreline in order to restore, protect and widen the beach.”
The Griffith Centre for Coastal Management’s BeachCare team is providing opportunities for community members to participate in caring for their local coastal environments.
Coordinator of Griffith BeachCare, James Gullison said their strategy is to educate residents about the importance of our dunes along Gold Coast beaches.
“By having dunes in place it means there is a buffer zone from sea water intrusion during storm events,” Mr Gullison said.
“We want to make sure that our beaches are looking great by the time the games kick off next April.”
BeachCare is also working to ensure the beaches are kept clean and rubbish free.
“One of the challenges we face when there is an influx of people on our beaches due to large scale events is the increase in rubish,” Mr Gullison said.
“We would like to have an active presence around the Gold Coast on our beaches so we can make people aware of the impacts of litter.”
Gold Coasters can get involved by visiting the BeachCare website.
Watch the video below for more information on the Council’s Beach Nourishment Project.