Council’s $1 million fix could change how you enjoy your favourite beaches

The Gold Coast had seen storms before, but nothing quite like Cyclone Alfred.

Residents woke to a coastline unrecognisable, with beaches carved into six-metre-high sand cliffs.

Millions of cubic metres of sand had vanished overnight, leaving familiar walking paths perilously steep.

Cyclone Alfred struck southeast Queensland in March 2025, the first tropical cyclone to hit the region since Cyclone Zoe in 1974.

Its Category 4 intensity combined with 15-metre-high waves created erosion cliffs along the Gold Coast that experts described as unprecedented.

For Vanissa Livara and her neighbours, the transformation of the shoreline was immediate and dramatic.

Cyclone Alfred’s Massive Impact

Alfred affected 500 kilometres of beach from Coffs Harbour to the Sunshine Coast, gouging millions of cubic metres of sand and marking one of the most significant coastal erosion events in recent Australian history.

Nearly 90 per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast, yet many communities had never faced a storm of this scale.

The cyclone struck during one of the year's highest tides, amplifying the storm surge and stripping beaches of sand while weakening coastal infrastructure.

Beyond the Gold Coast, Alfred caused power outages affecting nearly 250,000 homes and businesses, one of Queensland's largest outages on record.

Climate Change and Increasing Storm Risks

Climate scientists warned that out-of-zone cyclones—those forming outside traditional tropical areas—were becoming more frequent due to climate change.

Older Australians who purchased coastal properties decades ago faced risks that were once considered unlikely.

Coastal erosion is cumulative, and Dr Kinsela explained that clusters of extreme storms in quick succession worsen damage and slow recovery.

Gold Coast City Council spent $1 million annually on beach nourishment, dredging sand from the ocean and pumping it back onto eroded beaches.

Residents like Vanissa questioned whether this offered genuine long-term protection.

While Alfred’s erosion was severe, historical events such as NSW in 1974 or the Gold Coast’s 1967 erosion remained benchmarks for severity, offering some perspective.

Long-Term Coastal Planning and Protection

Nature-based solutions such as dunes, mangroves and oyster reefs were increasingly considered for long-term coastal protection, working with natural systems rather than against them.

The Gold Coast benefited from the world’s largest coastal imaging program, but most other regions lacked long-term monitoring, leaving communities ill-prepared.

Technology allowed real-time tracking and forecasts, but only effective if actively used.

Practical steps for residents included staying off recovering dunes to protect fragile plants, using temporary fencing to trap sand, and re-vegetating dunes to reduce future erosion.

Long-term coastal planning required understanding the impacts of rising sea levels and increasing storm intensity, ensuring that communities remained safe while enjoying seaside living.

As Vanissa and her neighbours watched their beloved beaches slowly recover, their experience served as a stark reminder that the lifestyle benefits of coastal living increasingly came with risks previous generations had never faced.

If you found the challenges of beach recovery after Cyclone Alfred eye-opening, there’s more to explore about local coastal management decisions.

Experts continue to debate the best ways to protect shorelines while balancing environmental impacts and community needs.

This next story highlights a real-life example of how coastal planning choices can stir concern among researchers and residents alike.

Read more: Coastal erosion researcher warns against Gold Coast plan for bars on beaches

How should communities balance the appeal of coastal living with the rising risks of storms and erosion over the coming decades?