Gold Coast Broadwater

For other uses, see Broadwater.
Gold Coast Broadwater
Southport Broadwater,
Gold Coast Harbour, and The Broadwater

Looking south from Labrador, 2015
Gold Coast Broadwater
Location of the Broadwater in Queensland
Location Gold Coast, South East Queensland
Coordinates 27°57′57″S 153°25′16″E / 27.96583°S 153.42111°E / -27.96583; 153.42111Coordinates: 27°57′57″S 153°25′16″E / 27.96583°S 153.42111°E / -27.96583; 153.42111
Part of Moreton Bay Marine Park
River sources Coomera, Nerang, and Pimpama Rivers; Loders, Biggera, Behm, and Wasp Creeks
Primary outflows
Ocean/sea sources
Basin countries Australia
Average depth 1.74 m (5.7 ft)[1]
Max. depth 9 m (30 ft)[1]
Salinity 33 ppt
Surface elevation 2 m (6.6 ft)[1]
Frozen never
Islands Crab, Ephraim, Wave Break
Settlements Gold Coast
References [1]

The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the Gold Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of Southport in the south, to the southern section of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay in the north. Separated via the Seaway from the Coral Sea by a thin strip of land called Stradbroke Island, the original body of water was a lagoon created from water deposited from the Nerang River. Part of the Broadwater is contained within the Moreton Bay Marine Park.

Location and features

Looking north over the Broadwater
Southport Pier, 2015

The entrance of the Nerang River was at Main Beach in the late 19th century but by the 1980s had moved about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northwards. The Seaway was completed in 1986 to stabilise the location of the Nerang River Entrance. Its construction has allowed greater tidal flows. This has created a larger tidal range within the Broadwater with lower low tides.[2] Towards the northern end of the broadwater the Pimpama River enters. The broadwater is very large and contains lots of species of marine life. Gold Coast Ferries operates a number of services across the waterway.

The Broadwater has undergone dramatic changes since the 1970s including the construction of an extensive number and network of artificial waterways that account for up to 90% of Australia's canal estates. Positioned in one of the fastest growing regions in the developed world, urbanisation surrounding the Broadwater is expected to continue. The region has important biodiversity values that have led to areas of the Broadwater listed as an international Ramsar site and inclusion to international migratory bird arrangements. The Broadwater provides a vital function in the provision of feeding, spawning and nursery sites for recreationally and commercially important finfish species.[1]

The Broadwater catchment includes a number of watercourses including the Logan/Albert, Coomera, Pimpama and Nerang Rivers. Creeks such as the Loders, Biggera and Behm and Wasp also flow into the estuary.[3]

The most common seagrass species in the body of water is Zostera muelleri which grows in the shallower parts.[4] Halophila ovalis and Halophila spinulosa are also found in the deeper waters of the Broadwater.

History

Captain Patrick Logan was the first European to discover this southern entrance to Moreton Bay.[5] In 1925, the Jubilee Bridge opened to traffic, replacing ferry services which transported passengers across the Broadwater.[6] In the early 1880s the first Southport Pier was opened to the public.

In 1966, the Jubilee Bridge was replaced by the Sundale Bridge. Construction of the Gold Coast Seaway was undertaken between 1984 and 1986. Plans for a cruise ship terminal and resort on Wave Break Island were rejected by the Queensland Government in 2015.[7]

Broadwaterway

Highrise development in Southport, 2008
Looking south along the foreshore at Biggera Waters

The Broadwaterway is a 19-kilometre (12 mi) foreshoreway along the foreshores of the Gold Coast Broadwater. The Broadwaterway includes:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ryan, J. K.; Waltham, Nathan J.; Benfer, Nathan P.; King, Brian A.; Lemckert, Charles J.; Zigic, Sasha (2013). "Gold Coast Broadwater: Southern Moreton Bay, Southeast Queensland (Australia)". In Wolanski, Eric. Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and beyond. Dordrecht Springer. pp. 93–109. ISBN 978-94-007-7019-5.
  2. ↑ Gourlay, Michael R. (1996). "History of Coastal Engineering in Australia". In Kraus, Nicholas C. History and Heritage of Coastal Engineering. ASCE Publications. p. 44. ISBN 0784474141. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Broadwater Catchment". City of Gold Coast. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  4. ↑ McPhee, D. (2015). "Marine environments of the Gold Coast: out with the old, in with the new". In Hundloe, Tor; McDougall, Bridgette; Page, Craig. The Gold Coast Transformed: From Wilderness to Urban Ecosystem. Csiro Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 1486303307. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Jensen, Jo; Barrett, Peta (1996). Patrick Logan. Moorooka, Brisbane: Future Horizon Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 0-9587622-7-9.
  6. ↑ Longhurst, Robert (1995). Gold Coast:Our heritage in focus. South Brisbane, Queensland: State Library of Queensland. p. 27. ISBN 0-7242-6563-5.
  7. ↑ Stevenson, Ashleigh (28 April 2015). "Gold Coast cruise terminal proponent ASF Consortium willing to negotiate Broadwater plans". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 27 September 2015.

External links

Media related to The Broadwater, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, October 19, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.