Tweed Sand Bypassing
The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project, also known as, Tweed Sand Bypassing (TSB), is a joint initiative of the Queensland and New South Wales governments to maintain a navigable entrance to the Tweed River and provide an ongoing supply of sand to the southern Gold Coast beaches.
Find out more:
Background
After being extended in the 1960s, the breakwaters at the entrance to the Tweed River trapped and reduced the supply of sand to the southern Gold Coast beaches.
This sand normally would have been transported to southern Gold Coast beaches by wave action and near-shore currents.
Eventually, the sand moved past the end of the breakwaters and created a large, shallow sand bar at the Tweed River entrance that was hazardous to navigation.
The TSB project aims to overcome these problems.
Project area looking east: from Kirra to Snapper Rocks.
Project area looking west, locations listed counter-clockwise from foreground to background: Letitia Spit and the TSB Jetty; Tweed River entrance; Duranbah Beach; Point Danger; Snapper Rocks; Rainbow Bay; Greenmount; Coolangatta Beach; Kirra Point; and Kirra Beach.
Stages
The project has been undertaken in 2 stages.
Stage 1, now complete, involved dredging more than 3 million cubic metres of sand from the Tweed River entrance to create a navigable channel and to nourish the southern Gold Coast beaches.
The project delivered sand onto the eroded beaches to bring them back to a similar condition to as before the breakwaters were extended.
Stage 2, commencing in 2001, was the installation of a permanent sand bypassing system.
Sand arriving at the permanent system on the southern side of the Tweed River entrance is trapped and pumped to the southern Gold Coast beaches.
The Snapper Rocks East outlet discharging a sand-water mixture
What’s happening now
The project’s current activities include:
- the sand bypassing system primarily delivers sand to Snapper Rocks East;
- the system also periodically delivers sand to Duranbah Beach. This can occur during autumn and/or spring annually;
- sand pumping occurs primarily at night, except under specific conditions such as system testing or storm events—during which, there may be continuous operations. When outlets are operating, you should keep clear for safety reasons.
- dredging to maintain a navigable entrance. Recently, TSB has taken a proactive approach to dredging, continuously monitoring the volume of sand in the Tweed River entrance with the goal of maintaining a safe and sustainable navigation channel. For more information on dredge timing, placement locations, or records of historical dredging campaigns, please refer to the Dredging Operations page of the project website.
The project involves the local community through regular consultation via the Community Advisory Committee.
Information on the project is provided to the community at an annual open day via the project website, APP and Instagram Account.
The most recent presentation is available at the Community Advisory Committee page of the New South Wales Government project site
Transition project
As the expiry of the existing Concession Agreement with the TSB Operator approaches, planning and investigation is required to ensure appropriate preparations are made for transition to a new system of operation. The investigation, option identification, evaluation and implementation of a preferred option is known as the TSB Transition Project.
The TSB Transition Project will provide a unique opportunity to improve how the project functions. This will occur through the exploration of all available options and analysis of the performance of the existing system since commencement of operation.
The scope of the Transition Project is separated into four distinct phases as follows;
- Phase 1 – Review and assessment of current and past operations – complete
- Phase 2 – New system options identification and evaluation – complete
- Phase 3 – Preparation for implementation of a new system – ongoing
- Phase 4 – Implementation of a new system – from 01 October 2024
Useful links
- YouTube video—Tweed Sand Bypassing Project
- Tweed Sand Bypassing project website
- Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project Agreement Act 1998
- YouTube video—Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project
- Video monitoring of southern Gold Coast beaches
Contact us
For general questions, contact:
Project Manager for NSW and Qld Government
Tweed Sand Bypassing
Transport for NSW
Email: tresbp.projectoffice.group@transport.nsw.gov.au
For questions about the site operations, or to liaise with the TSB Operator contact:
Maintenance and Operations Manager
Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Company
McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd
Email: gavin.smith@mcdgroup.com