disappearing broadwater

[sinka]

Hi all just a quick comment on the once water filled broadwater which now looks like the simpson desert at low tide. Now is it just me or has anybody else noticed the demise of our once great water playground. I remember the days before the seaway well full of fish and water. I would love to hear from any others who share my concern. I really fear that we will soon see the day when we will no longer be able to go boating of fishing due to the lack of water and water flow.

sinka:-[ >:(

[Chimo]

True
http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-27.913733,153.427849&spn=0.069474,0.10849&t=h&z=13

and http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-28.018537,153.426411&spn=0.008676,0.013561&t=h&z=16 as egs

Cheers
Chimo

[sinka]

Thanks for the reply and pics Chimo. The pics tell the story . Mate I remember as a kid boating in the broadwater before the days of wavebreak and the seaway,plenty of clear deep water, plenty of fish, and the odd sand bar at low tide not the permanent islands we have know. I think we have let our leaders destroy our most valuable asset no wonder it's hard to find fish in the broadwater theres no bloody water left in it.

Cheers Sinka>:(

[Crestcutter]

Certainly has changed, i remember as a kid catching muddies off Mitchells jetty and catching nice jew of the Jubilee bridge.

[xrnath]

I've only been on the coast since '89' however I have still seen quite a bit of change.

I remember fishing the Broadwater almost every weekend during the early 90's growing up (often landing a nice feed), but now, I fish and boat almost anywhere else... continuous sand dunes throughout (indeed great for yabbies and bait), little fish activity (of size) apart from the seaway and the odd catch of the month, and just too many boats, skis etc to enjoy what I used to believe was one of the best fishing areas around :(

[xrnath]

This arial photograph also shows just how much of a maze the Broadwater must be for non-locals (south wavebreak island)...

http://www.abovephotography.com.au/Aerial-Photos/Queensland/Gold-Coast/Labrador-010631/Original

Hands up if you have seen a houseboat above water?

[Local_Guy]

guys, don't also forget about one of the best surf breaks in the world.. Kirra..

you use to surf right infront of the surfclub and get perfect barrels, now because of the sand pumping it has filled up with sand.

i did hear somewhere they are in the process of returning it to it's natural glory.

[red rock cod]

Re Kirra,
What about the awesome fishing off the groyne before the sand pumping.

[rando]

guys, don't also forget about one of the best surf breaks in the world.. Kirra..

you use to surf right infront of the surfclub and get perfect barrels, now because of the sand pumping it has filled up with sand.

i did hear somewhere they are in the process of returning it to it's natural glory.


RE. Sand pumping at southern end of the Gold Coast.

When we were kids we would holiday at Kirra, 1960 or thereabouts.

There was no Groyne, or rock wall,and you could walk on the WIIIDDDE beach all the way from Greenmount to Tugan,,, Probably to Rainbow as well ... we never went that far ,because the Fun was at Greenmount or Kirra with the "Ron Rico" hypnotist show,and the crowds, and snowcones, and surf-o planes.

Greenmount ,Coolangatta, Kirra. and Tugan all had fleets of home made timber catermarans sometimes 100s of them lined up in rows on the beach, and you still had room for beach cricket /footy in front of them.

And it was even then a famous break.

There were reefs out from kirra that the skin divers would swim out to and spear good fish on.

The first step in a long series of events was the Rock walls at the Tweed to make the bar safe for the fishing Fleet.

The Groynes(dozens,,, all along the coast) came after a series of cyclones caused massive erosion, (Kirra surf club was in danger of falling into the sea. )

No sand getting through from south of the Tweed.

Delft Ocean Laboritories in Holland suggested the groynes , but they only fixed the problem by trapping sand on the south side , the north side usually scoured out.

Then a series of years of beach replenishment via dredge. and more cyclones and erosion and replenishments

Then the removal of the Groynes.

I think in the long term the sand pumping will restore what was happening before the Tweed bar stabilisation( wonderful example of the success of interferring with natural process)

Some of you will not have the hind-site that a few of we older blokes who have lived here all their lives have
But to say Pumping stuffed things is a narrow view.IMHO8-):)

The NSW goverment building the Tweed walls and then refusing(for 40 years) to participate in the solution to the problem they created was the first the trigger for all the changes that followed.

Maybe in 30 years we will be snorkling out to the reefs behind a sensational break again.
If I was a cynic I might add that it would be at Piggabeen Road beach and the reefs would have names like Airport, Sunrise Apartment,etc etc

[Kiktz]

I have been in the broadwater most of my life, can still remeber the family camping trips at lodgers creek as a very young kid. The main change that I have seen in the broadwater is the reclaimation of the yabbie bank out side Versace, which in my opion was crap. But it seem to be the lack of dredging of shifting sands with in the water way that is of concern, The narrow channel that you used to be able to run through at the south end of wave break is now near impassable in any sort of lager vessel.

I personally beleive that the powers that be have dropped the ball in sustaining
this beautiful water way and trying to accomodate that ever increasing number
of all water craft that make use of it.

Cheers Aj