{
  "id": 9856666,
  "title": "Urgent dredging underway to save disappearing Queensland beach",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/urgent-dredging-underway-to-save-disappearing-queensland-beach",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T23:11:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-26/dredging-begins-at-moore-park-beach/107165126"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dredging work has commenced to protect Moore Park Beach in Queensland from disappearing due to severe erosion. Concerns have been raised by experts regarding the long-term viability of this solution amidst increasingly powerful weather events. A 5-meter stretch of the foreshore has eroded away since Tropical Cyclone Alfred struck in early 2025, with the impact worsened by another major flood event in March of the same year. The mouth of Moore Park Creek has shifted about 200 meters north during the flood, prompting the Bundaberg Regional Council to take swift action. The council has secured a grant to develop a coastal erosion management plan.\n\nMayor Helen Blackburn explained that the council is working with engineers to determine the best course of action. The planned dredging will close one section of the creek mouth and open up another, allowing the creek to create its mouth further south. This dredging will also provide additional sand to nourish Moore Park Beach, where erosion has occurred. The necessary government permits for the dredging operation have been obtained. It is anticipated that the safety fencing will be removed in time for Christmas.\n\nGeographer and Sunshine Coast University associate professor Javier Leon stressed the need for the council to consider longer-term solutions. He suggested realigning the mouth of the creek as a short-term measure, but emphasized the importance of focusing on medium-to-long-term solutions, as the situation may worsen in the coming decades. Sunshine Coast University associate professor Javier Leon noted that while there is no consistent pattern of shoreline change across Australia, 50% of the shoreline is eroding and 50% is accreting, making it a site-specific issue.\n\nDerek Alcorn, president of the Moore Park Beach Community Association, expressed concern that the erosion has deterred visitors, potentially causing a financial burden for the community. The beach is a significant attraction for tourists, and until the erosion is rectified, it will remain a challenge for the local economy. Alcorn mentioned that the former Moore Park Beach surf club has been demolished due to slipping into the ocean, and further development of the beachfront is on hold until the beach is stabilized. The council has received almost $140,000 in state and federal funding to develop a shoreline erosion management plan, with a strategic document required to provide ongoing solutions and inform decision-making for the council, engineers, and marine scientists.",
  "summary": "Dredging work is underway to save a disappearing regional Queensland beach, but there are questions about its long-term viability and the impacts of increasingly powerful weather events.",
  "key_points": [
    "Dredging work begins to protect Moore Park Beach from severe erosion.",
    "5-meter stretch of foreshore eroded since Tropical Cyclone Alfred in early 2025.",
    "Council secured grant for coastal erosion management plan."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}