Gold Coast Broadwater
|Gold Coast Broadwater|
Gold Coast Harbour, and The Broadwater
Looking south from, 2015
Location of the Broadwater in Queensland
|Location||Gold Coast, South East Queensland|
|Part of||Moreton Bay Marine Park|
|River sources||Coomera, Nerang, and Pimpama Rivers; Loders, Biggera, Behm, and Wasp Creeks|
|Average depth||1.74 m (5.7 ft)|
|Max. depth||9 m (30 ft)|
|Surface elevation||2 m (6.6 ft)|
|Islands||Crab, Ephraim, Wave Break|
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of in the south, to the southern section of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay in the north. Separated via the Seaway from the Coral Sea by a thin strip of land called Stradbroke Island, the original body of water was a lagoon created from water deposited from the Nerang River. Part of the Broadwater is contained within the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
Location and features
The entrance of the Nerang River was at Main Beach in the late 19th century but by the 1980s had moved about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northwards. The Seaway was completed in 1986 to stabilise the location of the Nerang River Entrance. Its construction has allowed greater tidal flows. This has created a larger tidal range within the Broadwater with lower low tides. Towards the northern end of the broadwater the Pimpama River enters. The broadwater is very large and contains lots of species of marine life. Gold Coast Ferries operates a number of services across the waterway.
The Broadwater has undergone dramatic changes since the 1970s including the construction of an extensive number and network of artificial waterways that account for up to 90% of Australia's canal estates. Positioned in one of the fastest growing regions in the developed world, urbanisation surrounding the Broadwater is expected to continue. The region has important biodiversity values that have led to areas of the Broadwater listed as an international Ramsar site and inclusion to international migratory bird arrangements. The Broadwater provides a vital function in the provision of feeding, spawning and nursery sites for recreationally and commercially important finfish species.
The Broadwater catchment includes a number of watercourses including the Logan/Albert, Coomera, Pimpama and Nerang Rivers. Creeks such as the Loders, Biggera and Behm and Wasp also flow into the estuary.
The most common seagrass species in the body of water is Zostera muelleri which grows in the shallower parts. Halophila ovalis and Halophila spinulosa are also found in the deeper waters of the Broadwater.
Captain Patrick Logan was the first European to discover this southern entrance to Moreton Bay. In 1925, the Jubilee Bridge opened to traffic, replacing ferry services which transported passengers across the Broadwater. In the early 1880s the first Southport Pier was opened to the public.
In 1966, the Jubilee Bridge was replaced by the Sundale Bridge. Construction of the Gold Coast Seaway was undertaken between 1984 and 1986. Plans for a cruise ship terminal and resort on Wave Break Island were rejected by the Queensland Government in 2015.
|This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015)|
- The Spit arm
- the Marine Stadium,
- western Spit foreshores (including Sea World, Fishing fleet, Versace Hotel, Marina Mirage, Fishermans Wharf, Water Police, Sea Scouts and the Southport Yacht Club)
- Pelican Beach at Main Beach
- Southport Broadwater Parklands
- Marine Parade and Harley Park Labrador
- Broadwater Esplanades of Biggera Waters, Runaway Bay and Hollywell.
- Paradise Point Broadwater Parklands
- List of rivers of Queensland
- Southern Moreton Bay Islands
- Southern Moreton Bay Islands National Park
- Sports on the Gold Coast, Queensland
- Ryan, J. K.; Waltham, Nathan J.; Benfer, Nathan P.; King, Brian A.; Lemckert, Charles J.; Zigic, Sasha (2013). "Gold Coast Broadwater: Southern Moreton Bay, Sout