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Just one day after Gold Coast Mayor Baildon stated
that the several million dollar artificial "Narrowneck Reef was
designed to prevent beach erosion and not to produce good surfing
waves" (Gold Coast Bulletin 10-4-2001) cyclone Sose is set to
test Baildon's assertion that the Reef is a successful erosion
combating strategy.
Cyclone Sose, now approaching New Zealand is
sending giant swells to the Gold Coast several hundred miles away.
The cyclonic swells have been reported as producing 8m waves.
In the past these size
swells usually result in a lot of beach erosion which at times has
seen the road threatened.
Narrowneck is a narrow land barrier
that separates the Pacific Ocean from the Broadwater. It carries a
two lane bitumin road and is protected from the ocean by a wooden
barrier (usually buried by sand). The Gold Coast City Council often
pumps sand to this area to build up the beach. If the sea ever
breaks through at Narrowneck there will be some pretty major
flooding of low lying Broadwater shoreline properties. The last time
the sea almost broke through was in 1974 with another scare in the
80's.
Our visit today showed several
sets coming through at about 3m. 
The reef is not handling the size well resulting in very
messy conditions.
(One wave ski rider
was out) Next | |
