Government delivers action on Mooloolah River bar shoaling

The Government of Queensland is taking action to manage shoaling at the Mooloolah River bar on the Sunshine Coast, after receiving recommendations from an independent report.  

In September 2025, the Government commissioned an independent review into long-and-short-term solutions after the tragic death of experienced local skipper Robert Smith on August 27, 2025. 

The review provided comprehensive recommendations to manage shoaling at the mouth of the Mooloolah River:  

• Short term measures to manage safety risks while longer‑term works are developed:
  • Continue routine and targeted dredging using cutter suction dredgers,
  • Improve monitoring and modelling to enable faster, more targeted dredging,
  • Consider trailing suction hopper dredgers (a different dredge type) as supplementary equipment meaning greater resources for reactive dredging,
  • Engage with dredging contractor to explore availability and cost for rapid‑response dredging when required. 

• A long-term, two-stage approach to managing shoaling:
  • Stage 1 – Dredge the Buddina Sand Trap, which will remove 100,000 m³ of sand from the trap and place it on Sunshine Coast beaches. It is expected this work will occur across 2026-27,
  • Stage 2 – Deepen the Entrance Channel, by excavating the underlying rock to increase the entrance channel depth. It is expected this work will start in 2026-27.  

The Government said that they will implement both the short and long-term strategies, with tenders to carry out the work to open in the coming weeks.