Recent beach conditions

Photographs of the five main beaches in the Tweed Sand Bypassing project area have been taken every couple of months since the project was commissioned in 2001. They are an excellent indication of the degree of beach width fluctuation; both in the early days of bypassing, when more than the natural rate of sand was pumped to the southern Gold Coast, and during the more recent operational phase where seasonal variation is more evident.

Shoreline position

The University of New South Wales maintains an ARGUS Coastal Imaging System on behalf of the project.  Photographic images are captured hourly from high elevation locations (such as apartment towers) to show current beach and surf conditions.  The images are also processed and rectified to real-world coordinates to allow for mapping of features such as shoreline positions. This information is used to analyse short and longer term shoreline changes.

Latest shoreline maps of the project beaches on the University of NSW Water Research Laboratory website can be accessed directly through links below.

Tweed Heads/Coolangatta area beach locations

Beach locations