It is one of the newest landmarks on the Gold Coast — but experts say it is unlikely to survive until Christmas.
An offshore barge, which has so far pumped 1 million cubic metres of sand back onto the city’s beaches, has also produced a small sand island off Surfers Paradise.
The city has so far spent $35 million on its strategy to replenish the 6 million cubic metres of sand ripped away from the shore by Tropical Cyclone Alfred this year.
“It’s pretty awesome … who wouldn’t want an island out the front of their beach?” said International Coastal Management engineer Aaron Salyer.
Beachgoers are being urged to stay off the sandbar. (Supplied: Gold Coast City Council)
He said the dredge had deliberately formed the island off the city’s northern beach strip most impacted by the storm.
Mr Salyer said tides, swell and the area’s natural sand movement would push the sand where it needs to go.
“It’s very much been put there on purpose, which is what nature would do anyway, but we’re just exaggerating that process by doing it mechanically,” he said.
“It’ll start to dissipate over the Christmas season and eventually wash its way in.”
Speeding up natural flow
Mr Salyer says the technique is used to help speed up the process of replenishing the city’s beaches. (Supplied: Aaron Salyer)
Mr Salyer said authorities had plenty of experience in the technique called nearshore nourishment, where sand is placed near the shore rather than directly on the beach, on the Gold Coast.
“If you did nothing at all and just let nature do its course … beaches would build up and regenerate naturally,” he said.
He said the dredge was speeding up the process.
“It steps in and basically hurries that process,” he said.
Mr Salyer said while the process was expensive, its benefits outweighed the costs because the city relied so heavily on its beaches for tourism.
“It can’t afford not to have a beach, so it can’t afford not to spend the money on regenerating the beach after these kinds of storm impacts,” Mr Salyer said.
A dredging barge has been operating since April. (ABC Gold Coast: Steve Keen)
Attraction or hazard?
The formation has attracted plenty of sightseers, swimmers and tourists.
But the curious beachgoers have been cautioned by lifeguards to stay off the sandbar and to swim between the flags.
Gold Coast chief lifeguard Will Ashley said the island could be dangerous.
“There’s a lot of water that moves around that island that’s been created there so we are asking people to stay away,” Mr Ashley said.
“If you’re going to swim at the beach, we recommend coming to the flags, having a safe swim with the lifeguards or lifesavers.”
Mr Ashley said the sandbar was most dangerous at night when beaches were unpatrolled.
“We don’t encourage anyone to enter the water at night, or in that area at all, to try and get out to the sandbank,” he said.
Mayor Tom Tate says council will look at putting extra patrols in the area. (ABC Gold Coast: Steve Keen)
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said council would look at putting lifeguards on duty near the area to ensure beachgoers were safe.
He is yet to confirm whether extra patrols will go ahead.
“Mother Nature can be very violent with the rips, so I’ll have a look at that whether we need to do anything further as a safety issue,” Cr Tate said.