The City of Gold Coast’s offshore dredging operations are nearly complete for 2026 with the dredger Trud R set to leave the Gold Coast this week.
During its time in Gold Coast waters between April and October, the dredge transferred approximately 1.2 million cubic meters of sand back onto the beach. Miami and Mermaid Beach received a combination of 797,740 cubic meters of sand, Surfers Paradise received 231,164 cubic meters of sand and Main Beach 36,702 cubic meters.
This equals a total of 1156 loads of sand returned to the beach over six months.
The total amount of sand returned to the beach since Tropical Cyclone Alfred totals almost 3 million cubic meters.
“The Trud R dredge has increased the volume of sand along the coastal strip from Miami to Main Beach,” said Mayor Tom Tate.
“Gold Coast beaches are one of the city’s most important assets contributing around $3.4 billion into our economy each year so taking proactive action for long-term sustainability is crucial. The additional sand has improved the resilience of these beaches to erosion and will provide greater protection during future storm events.”
The dredging operations were fully funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.