Cyclone Alfred devastates Australian Gold Coast by washing away entire beaches

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At least one person died and four remain missing after Tropical Cyclone Alfred battered Australia’s east coast.

But its coastal erosion, not human casualties, that have got the country talking.

The Gold Coast is known for its smooth, sandy beaches packed with surfers, sunbathers and swimmers. Alfred has turned them into cliffs.

Some places in Queensland saw wind speeds above 100km per hour, while powerful waves, reportedly up to three-storeys high, swept away the sand.

Around 2,000 Olympic swimming pools worth of sand is estimated to be gone – 80% of Gold Coast’s beaches, according to city mayor Tom Tate.

Much of it was gone before Cyclone Alfred even hit, giving the coast a double blow by making it more vulnerable to erosive storm surges when it finally did make land.

Videos show people jumping down the resulting drops, only to struggle scrambling back up the steep inclines – some running right up to pathways and roads.

Even Gold Coast’s Main Beach, visited by 11 million people each year, has virtually evaporated.

The highest wave there was 12.3 metres high – huge, but not as big as the city’s skyscrapers right along the shore.

Where has all the sand gone? Not actually that far, according to Javier Leon, an associate professor in physical geography at the aptly name University of the Sunshine Coast.

That could be good news. Writing in The Conversation, Prof Leon said: ‘The sand isn’t gone forever. Most of it is now sitting on sandbars offshore.

‘Over time, many beaches will naturally replenish. But sand dunes will take longer. And there are areas where the damage will linger.’

GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 06: Beach erosion at Currumbin Beach on March 06, 2025 in Gold Coast, Australia. Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall in southeast Queensland and northern NSW as a Category 2 storm, marking the first time a cyclone has directly hit the region in over 50 years. The storm is forecast to bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and potential storm surges, prompting authorities to urge residents to prepare for significant impacts, including flooding and power outages. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Carrumbin Beach was once a slope running right down to the sea (Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

How long, you might wonder, if you’re itching for a return of so-called Surfers Paradise.

It could be quite a while – weeks, months, even years for some features.

‘Our beaches will become steeper and wider again’, Prof Leon said.

But ‘some sand will have been washed into very deep water, or swept by currents away from the beaches’, he continued.

‘In these cases, sand will take longer to return or won’t return at all. Dunes recover more slowly than beaches. It may take years for them to recover.’

Waves break onto the sand foundations of the footpath along Main Beach located on the Gold Coast on March 8, 2025. Cyclone Alfred weakened into a tropical low on March 8 but still threatened to unleash major floods on swollen rivers as it approached the rain and wind-lashed eastern coast of Australia. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images)
Erosion threatened the foundations of this footpath along Main Beach (Picture: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

But Gold Coast’s government doesn’t want to wait. Tourism is worth £800million a year to the local economy, and supports more than 20,000 jobs.

The beach is a key part in that industry.

Already, heavy machinery has been deployed to make the beaches more accessible.

Dredging is due to begin next week, with a barge pumping washed-away sand back to the shore.

A general view shows erosion at Miami Beach after the sand was washed away during Tropical Cyclone Alfred on the Gold Coast on March 9, 2025. After days hovering off the coast as a category 2 tropical cyclone generating heavy weather across the region, Alfred weakened into a tropical depression before making landfall on March 8 evening. (Photo by David GRAY / AFP) (Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images) 14484877
Gold Coast’s brand new cliffs are up to six feet high (Picture: David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)

‘Our priority is fixing the beaches… so we can get a number of kilometres back online for locals’, Mayor Tate said.

‘This time next week, I’d like to show that Surfers Paradise is really open for business and that way people can start booking flights.’

Almost half a million properties were left without power due to Cyclone Alfred. That’s the most power cuts of any natural disaster in Queensland.

Heavy rainfall caused flash floods, which even attracted sharks into Queensland’s inland canals.

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