Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan
The GCSMP project was established to investigate the management of the sandy shoreline environment on the Gold Coast. Its aim is to clearly define what we currently know, and what further research is needed to gain a thorough understand of the sandy beach environment.
In 2009, an extension to this project was initiated which was aimed at initiating recommendations and formulating implementation strategies for the GCSMP. The project outline included Review and Finalisation of the Shoreline Management Plan and the provision of Beach Protection planning reports for future management of the Gold Coast beaches.
In 2010/11 in collaboration with DHI Water and Environment Pty Ltd, the Centre was engaged by Gold Coast City Council to obtain more accurate wave and current data for calibration of coastal process models, and to provide better estimation of tidal prisms and flow exchange at the interface between Tallebudgera and Currumbin Creeks with the open ocean, thereby gaining a better understanding of entrance behaviours and sand movement.
Northern Gold Coast Beach Beach Protection Strategy
This is a continuing project aimed at monitoring and managing the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy which involved the construction of the Narrowneck Artificial Reef as a control point for beach nourishment. The works were carried out in 1999-2000 and the Centre has been responsible for the monitoring of the performance of the strategy with the objectives of assessing the stability of the reef and recommending maintenance works; to assess the shoreline movement, and to monitor the amenity and environmental value of the strategy.
The Spit Field Facility
Located at The Spit, the facility, which is a result of a collaborative effort between Gold Coast City Council, Griffith University and the University of Queensland, consists of an array of monometer tubes that extend out through the surf zone to a distance of 500 metres offshore. The facility is designed and constructed to enable the research team to respond rapidly and observe elevated near shore coastal water levels during extreme storm events.
Currumbin Entrance Research Program
The aim of this program is to develop a sustainable long-term channel maintenance strategy for the lower reaches of Currumbin Creek that addresses the various constraints on the natural characteristics of the estuary and adjacent beaches, and on recreational usage of the entrance. Centre Director, Professor Rodger Tomlinson, is a member of the Steering Committee which overseas the maintenance of the dredging program for the estuary.