Foreshoreways - the healthy ways

ForeshorewaysCouncil’s network of ‘green’ trails along the city’s beaches and waterways continues to grow with work soon to start on eight foreshoreways and planning under way for a further 11.

Access to the foreshore through ‘green’ feature areas is a key tool in planning the growth of cities to protect the environmental integrity of waterways and coastlines.

Increased ‘foot power’ will be needed in future, with more people walking and cycling, if the community is to continue to enjoy high-quality access to the city’s beaches and waterways.

Cycle and walkways are considered healthy not only for the environment, but also for individuals.

The National Heart Foundation recommends people include 30 minutes or more of moderately intense physical activity on most if not all days of the week. Walking or cycling along the Gold Coast’s foreshoreways is a great way to be active.

But the increasing demand for clean, green ways of using the Gold Coast’s beaches and waterways requires an increase in infrastructure to support it.

The Gold Coast City Council has published a series of plans and brochures promoting green travel - walking and cycling - along the city’s foreshoreways.

These include:

Brochures are available for individual sections of the Oceanway network including:

For more information on the Oceanway and for copies of the brochures visit the Oceanway website or call Council on (07) 5667 3753.

Gold Coast Broadwaterway

The Gold Coast Broadwaterway is a 22 kilometre network of pathways around the foreshores of the Gold Coast Broadwater. The Broadwaterway incorporates The Marine Stadium, Gold Coast Seaway, The Spit, Pelican Beach at Main Beach, the Southport Broadwater Parklands, Foreshores of Labrador, Harley Park and Biggera Waters, The Broadwater Esplanades of Runaway Bay and Holleywell and the foreshores of Paradise Point.

For those who enjoy a swim, there are great swimming areas at the Marine Stadium, Southport, Harley Park and Paradise Point. For the anglers, great fishing spots include The Gold Coast Seaway, Gold Coast Highway Bridge at Barney Street, Loders Creek, Biggera Creek, the Runaway Bay canal entrances, the bridges at Ephraim Island and Sovereign Islands and the Anne Jackson Park frontage of the Coomera River.

Surfers Riverwalk

The Surfers Riverwalk is a nine kilometre network of pathways along the foreshores of the Nerang River and Litte Tallebudgera Creek. The Surfers Riverwalk incorporates the Gold Coast Highway crossing of the Nerang River at Main Beach (just south of Australia Fair Shopping Centre), McIntosh Island, Budds Beach, Surfers Central Riverwalk, Cascade Gardens, Gold Coast Convention Centre, Casino Island and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre.

Highlights include the Surfers Central wharf at Cavil Avenue, a Flying Fox colony and the Kokoda Memorial Trail at Cascade Gardens, Bigfoot's Cave at McIntosh Island, swimming areas at Budds Beach, McIntosh Island and Pacific Fair Parklands.

Future of foreshoreways

If tourist and resident lifestyles are to remain sustainable as population grows its important that the average footprint of visitors to the Gold Coast reduces. A great way of reducing your coastal footprint is to travel along our foreshoreways and oceanways as a pedestrian or cyclist which is also a great way to be healthy and active.

The City Council has already upgraded the capacity of a number of foreshoreways throughout the city.

Improved oceanway pathways along the Southern Points (Kirra to Point Danger) and Tallebudgera (Palm Beach to North Burleigh) have greatly increased the number of walkers and cyclists enjoying these sections of our coastline.

Works to improve the city’s foreshoreways planned for the near future include:

New foreshoreways being planned are at:

Last updated: 17/04/2008

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