Gold Coast Seaway

Add links
Coordinates: 27°56′7.02″S 153°25′40.76″E / 27.9352833°S 153.4279889°E / -27.9352833; 153.4279889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Channel in 2015

The Gold Coast Seaway or Southport Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the

Southport Spit where the Nerang River
enters the Pacific Ocean. The channel was constructed between 1984 and 1986, primarily to facilitate the safe passage of sea-faring vessels. The passage was previously known as the Southport Bar. The mouth of the Nerang River was once located further south in Broadbeach. The main driving force for this movement is the northward drift of sand along the coast.

Before the bypass system was implemented the mouth of the Nerang River moved northwards at a rate of 60 metres per year.

Gold Coast Oceanway
.

The seaway is issued regular weather forecasts by the Bureau of Meteorology.[2]

Design

Two rock walls to stabilise the position of the entrance were constructed. One million tonnes of imported rock was used.[1] To reduce the entry of ocean swells the breakwater walls were aligned 15 degrees north of east and increasing the length of the southern wall.[1] Models indicated that the western shores of the Broadwater would need further protection from waves. Wave Break Island was constructed from dredged material to act as a barrier.

Rock wall anglers, 2015

The channel is 250 metres wide.[3] The mean depth is 11 m[1] and it has a maximum depth of 20 m.[4] During outgoing tides, excess treated wastewater from four sewage treatment plants is released into the channel.

Gold Coast Sand Bypass System

Research conducted by the government indicated the quantity of sand movement necessitated a solution that operated perpetually.

Surfers Paradise
.

The bypass system uses ten pumps located along the jetty.[6] These are two metres beneath the sand. The pumps collect 500,000 cubic metres of sand over the course of a year.[6] The sand, which is naturally moving northwards is pumped via a tunnel under the seaway to South Stradbroke Island, thereby making dredging unnecessary.[6] It is managed by the Gold Coast Waterways Authority.[6]

Diving

Gold Coast Seaway is a popular diving and fishing location. Many surfers and body boarders regularly paddle across the seaway on their boards from the mainland to South Stradbroke Island. Popular surfing sites include the sand pumping jetty on the mainland and the sand pumping outlets on South Stradbroke Island.

In 2014, scientists from NatureServe in the US traveled to Australia to find a pipefish species first photographed by a diver in the seaway in November 2009.[7]

See also

  • Southport Spit

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "History of the Gold Coast Seaway". Gold Coast Waterways Authority. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Gold Coast Seaway Forecast". Government of Queensland. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  3. ISBN 978-9400770195
    . Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Gold Coast Seaway: a marine lovers' paradise" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  5. ^ "The Gold Coast Seaway" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Forbes, Tom (13 October 2018). "Sand bypass system responsible for growing Gold Coast tourism and marine industries celebrated". ABC News. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  7. ^ Larkins, Damien (25 November 2014). "Pipefish photo sparks international search". ABC News. Retrieved 26 October 2021.

External links

27°56′7.02″S 153°25′40.76″E / 27.9352833°S 153.4279889°E / -27.9352833; 153.4279889

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gold_Coast_Seaway&oldid=1212671538"