Gold Coast beaches to take years to recover from Cyclone Alfred
Four months after the storm battered Queensland's coast, some of the city's most popular stretches of sand remain badly damaged raising fears that major events could be disrupted or cancelled.
The city has already lost the Pacific Airshow, which was expected to inject $33 million into the local economy, after organisers pulled out due to the poor beach conditions.
At Narrowneck, fresh footage shows the beach still closed, with warning signs in place and large drops where sand has been washed away.
Local beachgoers told 7NEWS the damage is like nothing they've seen before.
'There's a three-metre drop down a rock wall now, it's not like past times when it was just sand,' one visitor said.
Another added, 'You can't really get down to the beach here, it's disappointing to see.'
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate initially promised the beaches would be repaired by April, even joking in March anyone who thought otherwise could call him out over a beer.
But yesterday he delivered a much grimmer update.
'It's going to take two years to recover from what Alfred did to us,' Tate said.
One local quipped it would cost the mayor 'a couple more beers than he promised.'
Griffith University expert Dr Guilherme Vieira da Silva confirmed the extent of the damage is some of the worst he's seen.
'In terms of beach erosion, we've actually seen a fair bit of erosion, so this is up there with the most intense storms on record,' he said.
The economic fallout is also mounting, with organisers warning ongoing beach damage could threaten future events and tourism.
So far only the Pacific Airshow has been cancelled, but the potential for more disruptions is growing.
In an effort to restore the coastline, a 7.7-kilometre underground pipeline has been switched on, pumping sand to Main Beach, Narrowneck and Surfers Paradise.
A dredging barge is also operating offshore.
Tate said 87 per cent of the beaches remain open and are still being enjoyed by locals and tourists.
'So as far as being an asset for people and tourists alike, it is useable,' he said.
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7NEWS
5 days ago
- 7NEWS
Gold Coast beaches to take years to recover from Cyclone Alfred
The Gold Coast 's iconic beaches are in crisis, with experts warning it will take at least two years for them to fully recover from the devastating impact of Cyclone Alfred. Four months after the storm battered Queensland's coast, some of the city's most popular stretches of sand remain badly damaged raising fears that major events could be disrupted or cancelled. The city has already lost the Pacific Airshow, which was expected to inject $33 million into the local economy, after organisers pulled out due to the poor beach conditions. At Narrowneck, fresh footage shows the beach still closed, with warning signs in place and large drops where sand has been washed away. Local beachgoers told 7NEWS the damage is like nothing they've seen before. 'There's a three-metre drop down a rock wall now, it's not like past times when it was just sand,' one visitor said. Another added, 'You can't really get down to the beach here, it's disappointing to see.' Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate initially promised the beaches would be repaired by April, even joking in March anyone who thought otherwise could call him out over a beer. But yesterday he delivered a much grimmer update. 'It's going to take two years to recover from what Alfred did to us,' Tate said. One local quipped it would cost the mayor 'a couple more beers than he promised.' Griffith University expert Dr Guilherme Vieira da Silva confirmed the extent of the damage is some of the worst he's seen. 'In terms of beach erosion, we've actually seen a fair bit of erosion, so this is up there with the most intense storms on record,' he said. The economic fallout is also mounting, with organisers warning ongoing beach damage could threaten future events and tourism. So far only the Pacific Airshow has been cancelled, but the potential for more disruptions is growing. In an effort to restore the coastline, a 7.7-kilometre underground pipeline has been switched on, pumping sand to Main Beach, Narrowneck and Surfers Paradise. A dredging barge is also operating offshore. Tate said 87 per cent of the beaches remain open and are still being enjoyed by locals and tourists. 'So as far as being an asset for people and tourists alike, it is useable,' he said.
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Bomb cyclone' to intensify amid evacuation warnings and pleas to stay indoors
'The terrible thing is that the situation is going to worsen over the course of the next 24 hours, particularly later this afternoon and into the evening tomorrow. So once again, we're asking people to be as prepared as they possibly can be.' Authorities urged people to move their cars away from large trees as heavy rain hit saturated ground and fierce winds began to tear down branches and powerlines, cutting power to 30,000 people across the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney, as of Tuesday night. Although much of the coast was on alert for minor to moderate riverine flooding, flash flooding unleashed by possible downpours of 200 millimetres posed the greatest threat, particularly between Newcastle and the Illawarra. The South Coast will encounter the greatest risk from flash flooding as the weather system continues its poleward crawl before spinning into the Tasman late in the week. 'The most intense impacts, including the heavy rainfall, are most likely across the Illawarra and parts of the South Coast [on Tuesday night],' said Miriam Bradbury, a senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology. What is a 'bomb cyclone'? Meteorological jargon used to describe the unusual low-pressure storm system has included 'bomb cyclone', 'bombogenesis' and 'explosive cyclogenesis'. These terms all refer to the rapid intensification of the weather system. A dramatic plunge in pressure – about 20 to 30 hectopascals over the past day or two – transformed the low into a severe storm system. Regions of low pressure in the atmosphere funnel air upwards, which triggers the development of storm clouds and powerful winds. The system the bureau called a 'vigorous coastal low' spiralled down the coast while generating storm-force offshore winds comparable to a category two cyclone, adjunct professor of environmental geography at CQUniversity Steve Turton said. 'That's certainly going to increase the wave energy and the swells and so on coming onto the coast. We're looking at over 5 million people likely to be affected by this system,' he said. Abnormally warm water off the NSW coast helped fuel the rapid intensification, Turton said. Warmer oceans turbocharge storm energy and supply weather systems with moisture for heavy rain. A region of ocean water brewing 1 to 3 degrees above the long-term average also contributed to Tropical Cyclone Alfred and May's flood disaster, Turton said. 'That pool of warm water off the coast will certainly be providing additional energy into this system and increasing the risk for more rapid intensification and flash flooding,' he said. About 90 per cent of the Earth's extra heat caused by the burning of fossil fuels is trapped within the ocean, he noted. NSW East Coast weather warnings A severe weather warning for damaging, locally destructive winds remained in place for Sydney, the Illawarra, and parts of Mid North Coast, Hunter, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Northern Tablelands and Northern Rivers as of 4pm Tuesday. Rock fishers, boaters and swimmers were urged to stay away from the ocean under a hazardous surf warning in place from the Hunter down to Eden. Coastal erosion and damage to infrastructure may strike the coastline between Seal Rocks and the NSW-Victorian border. Southern parts of the Mid North Coast, the Hunter, Sydney-Illawarra Coast and Snowy catchments were under flood watch for minor flooding, while moderate flooding was possible for the Hawkesbury-Neapean. Stay up to date with warnings here or on the Hazards Near Me app. Public transport warnings and flight cancellations Transport for NSW operations management executive director Craig Moran advised people to avoid non-essential travel, and if they did need to travel, to give themselves extra time and be prepared for disruptions. 'There may be sudden road closures or there may be sudden delays on the public transport system. Everything is holding up OK at the moment, but … just be prepared that circumstances can change,' he said shortly after midday on Tuesday. A number of low-lying roads were closed in the Shoalhaven area on the state's South Coast, which had received high amounts of rain overnight, he said. Sydney Airport switched to using just its east-west runway on Tuesday afternoon due to strong south-westerly winds, leaving two of its three runways closed. The agency said delays are expected, with passengers advised to check with their airlines regarding any changes to travel arrangements.
The Age
01-07-2025
- The Age
At least 5 million in path of ‘bomb cyclone'
Over the weekend, the bureau warned NSW could be in for an east coast low, which refers to a severe weather system that dumps dangerous amounts of rain and inflicts widespread damage. BoM meteorologist Jiwon Park says the current complex low-pressure system probably qualifies as a low-end east coast low, but that doesn't necessarily warrant the term being used. 'We reserve the term 'east coast low' for the really high-end event that brings widespread major level flooding, and broad areas of destructive wind gusts.' The bureau has called the system a vigorous coastal low instead. But that shouldn't be seen as a downgrade, said Steve Turton, an adjunct professor of environmental geography at CQUniversity. He echoed warnings from the SES and the bureau that effects will be short, sharp, intense and unpredictable. 'Off-shore, the winds will certainly be storm-force, which is like a category two tropical cyclone in intensity,' he said. 'That's certainly going to increase the wave energy and the swells and so on coming onto the coast. We're looking at over 5 million people likely to be affected by this system.' The silver lining is that the low will move faster than a classic east coast low, limiting the amount of rain that will pelt the coast and lowering risk of major flooding. Abnormally warm water off the NSW coast helped fuel the system's rapid intensification, Turton said. Warmer oceans turbocharge the energy of a storm and supply weather systems with more moisture for heavy rain. A region of ocean water brewing 1 to 2.5 degrees above average also contributed to Tropical Cyclone Alfred and May's flood disaster, Turton said. 'That pool of warm water off the coast will certainly be providing additional energy into this system and increases the risk for more rapid intensification and flash flooding,' he said. About 90 per cent of the Earth's extra heat cause by the burning of fossil fuels is trapped within the ocean, he noted. NSW east coast weather warnings A severe weather warning for damaging, locally destructive winds is in place for Sydney, the Illawarra, and parts of Mid North Coast, Hunter, South Coast, Central Tablelands, Southern Tablelands, Northern Tablelands and Northern Rivers. A hazardous surf warning was issued for the coast from the Hunter down to Eden, with rock fishers, boaters and swimmers urged to stay away from the ocean. Coastal erosion and damage to infrastructure may strike the coastline between Seal Rocks and the NSW-Victorian border. A flood watch for minor flooding is in place for southern parts of the Mid North Coast, the Hunter, Hawkesbury-Nepean, Sydney-Illawarra Coast and Snowy catchments. NSW SES is advising residents along Sydney's coast, from Collaroy in the north all the way to Wollongong in the south, to stay indoors. Stay up to date with warnings here or on the Hazards Near Me app. Flight cancellations Virgin is advising guests travelling in and out of Sydney and Newcastle that their flights may be affected by the wild weather, while a Qantas spokesperson says it anticipates more cancellations in and out of Sydney later today. Twelve Virgin and seven Qantas flights have been cancelled so far today.
