Dune restoration program

• Project typeOceans, beaches and waterways
• Project scheduleSept/Oct 2025 to December 2026

We are fast-tracking dune regeneration at 6 locations following the impacts of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred as part of our Beaches Restoration Program.

Our Dune Shield initiative aims to increase sand volumes along our beaches and increase the protective capacity of our sand dunes. It will test new techniques to strengthen and grow our coastal sand dunes to help them act as natural buffers against storms and erosion.

Project aims

• Understand how much sand is currently stored in the Gold Coast’s dunes
• Trial dune growth techniques at several test sites to optimise natural dune growth
• Establish a reliable system to measure and track dune sand volumes
• Develop a coast-wide plan for long-term, sustainable dune growth based on trial results
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing with other councils
• Increase coastal resilience to extreme weather events and climate change by storing more sand in our dunes

Project details

We are trialling different methods to increase growth of our dune vegetation to help retain more sand when facing future storms. Dune sites will be monitored for their vegetation, canopy and sand volume growth over 6-12 months. The most successful technique will be chosen to expand the Dune Shield program across the whole coastline over the next few years, safeguarding our coastline for future storm events.

Delivery stages

• Stage 1: by hand – Sept/Oct 2025
• Stage 2: by drone – early 2026 

Initial treatment locations

• Currumbin: Tomewin Street and Currumbin Vikings Surf Live Saving Club (Pacific Parade)
• Palm Beach South: Lacey’s Lane to Fourth Avenue
• Tallebudgera: Twenty-Third Avenue to Twenty-Seventh Avenue
• Surfers Paradise South: First Avenue to Garfield Terrace
• Narrowneck Beach
• Main Beach: Hollindale Park

Impacts on the community

• Treatments will not impact beach access – beaches will remain open at all times
• Residents and beachgoers may notice brief treatments and drone activity, mainly at night
• While safe for the environment, the fertiliser is not intended for ingestion by dogs or people
• We always encourage beachgoers keep dogs out of dune areas and to use public accessways

Benefits for the community

• Stronger coastal protection: healthier dunes provide a natural barrier against storms, erosion, and sea level rise
• Preserving our lifestyle: protecting beaches and dunes safeguards our coastal lifestyle
• Environmentally friendly innovation: drones offer precise, efficient and low-impact treatment in 2026 with less disturbance to dune habitats
• Cost-effective resilience: boosting natural dune systems reduces reliance on short-term erosion repairs
• Future-ready coastline: trial results will inform a long-term strategy to keep the Gold Coast’s beaches strong for generations to come

Dune Shield aligns with Our Coastal Lifestyle Strategy 2050

The project is supported through QCoast2100, a Queensland Government program delivered in partnership with the Local Government Association of Queensland, with assistance for Round 4 provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth–State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.