Palm Beach Beach Protection Strategy


The Palm Beach Beach Protection Strategy (PBBPS) is an integrated coastal management plan developed for Gold Coast City Council by Griffith Centre for Coastal Management for the future protection and sustainable management of Palm Beach. Several engineering works have been proposed for the site, including:

  • construction of up to three submerged coastal protection structures
  • sand nourishment

Between 2004 and 2008, the Water Research Laboratory (WRL) assisted Gold Coast City Council by providing quantitative and independent monitoring of coastal processes at Palm Beach, and the changes that occured, in response to the PBBPS.

Digital images of the coastline were captured every daylight hour by WRL from five cameras mounted on the roof of an apartment building. These images were then analysed, to measure changes to the central Gold Coast coastline. The results of this monitoring were then reported in six-monthly paper reports and in real-time via the world-wide-web.

The monitoring images, animations, beach width records and data reports summarising morphological and shoreline trends at Palm Beach between 2004 and 2008 are available on this website can be provided to interested parties upon request.

For further information about the PBBPS and ongoing monitoring please contact Gold Coast City Council directly.