Editing Gold Coast, Queensland (section)

===Beaches===
[[File:Beach entrance at Surfers Paradise, Queensland.jpg|thumb|The entrance to [[Surfers Paradise]] beach]]
The city consists of {{convert|70|km|mi}} of coastline, with some of the most popular [[Surfing|surf]] breaks in Australia and the world, including [[South Stradbroke Island]], [[Southport Spit, Queensland|The Spit]], [[Main Beach, Queensland|Main Beach]], [[Surfers Paradise, Queensland|Surfers Paradise]], [[Broadbeach, Queensland|Broadbeach]], Mermaid Beach, Nobby's Beach, [[Miami, Queensland|Miami]], North Burleigh Beach, Burleigh Beach, [[Burleigh Heads, Queensland|Burleigh Heads]], Tallebudgera Beach, [[Palm Beach, Queensland|Palm Beach]], South Palm Beach, Currumbin Beach, Tugun, [[Bilinga, Queensland|Bilinga]], North Kirra Beach [[Kirra, Queensland|Kirra]], [[Coolangatta, Queensland|Coolangatta]], [[Greenmount Beach|Greenmount]], Rainbow Bay, [[Snapper Rocks]] and Froggies Beach. There is almost 42&nbsp;km of unbroken beachfront. [[Duranbah Beach]] is one of the world's best known [[surfing]] beaches and is often thought of as being part of Gold Coast City, but is actually just across the [[New South Wales]] state border in the [[Tweed Shire]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

There are also beaches along many of the Gold Coast's {{convert|860|km|mi|abbr=on}} of navigable tidal waterways. Popular inland beaches include [[Southport, Queensland|Southport]], Budds Beach, Marine Stadium, [[Currumbin Alley]], Tallebudgera Estuary, Jacobs Well, Jabiru Island, Paradise Point, Harley Park Labrador, Santa Barbara, Boykambil and Evandale Lake.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://doi.org/10.1071/9781486303304 |title=Gold Coast Transformed |date=2015 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |isbn=978-1-4863-0330-4 |editor-last=Hundloe |editor-first=Tor |editor-last2=McDougall |editor-first2=Bridgette |editor-last3=Page |editor-first3=Craig}}</ref>[[File:Gold Coast summer, Burleigh Heads Beach.jpg|thumb|right|[[Burleigh Heads]] beach with Surfers Paradise skyline visible on the horizon]]'''Beach safety and management'''

The Gold Coast has Australia's largest<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?PID=50 |title=Gold Coast Lifeguard Services |publisher=Gold Coast City Council |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712192548/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=50 |archive-date=12 July 2010  }}</ref> professional [[surf lifesaving]] service to protect people on the beaches and to promote surf safety throughout the community. The [[Queensland Department of Primary Industries]] carries out the Queensland Shark Control Program (SCP) to protect swimmers from sharks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_15736.htm|title=Queensland Shark Control Program|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504160624/http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/28_15736.htm |archive-date=4 May 2012 }}</ref> Sharks are caught by using nets and baited drumlines off the major swimming beaches. Even with the SCP, sharks do range within sight of the [[beach patrol|patrolled beaches]]. [[Lifeguard]]s will clear swimmers from the water if it is considered that there is a safety risk.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

Gold Coast beaches have experienced periods of severe [[Coastal erosion|beach erosion]]. In 1967, a series of 11 cyclones removed most of the sand from Gold Coast beaches. The [[Government of Queensland]] engaged engineers from [[Delft University]] in the Netherlands to advise what to do about the beach erosion. The Delft Report<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/1972cabdocs/beach.asp |title=Delft Report |publisher=Queensland Government |date=20 May 2004 |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227110052/http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/1972cabdocs/beach.asp |archive-date=27 February 2011 }}</ref> was published in 1971 and outlined a series of works for Gold Coast Beaches including [[Gold Coast Seaway]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gu.edu.au/centre/gccm/InfoSheet/Seaway.pdf|title=Gold Coast Seaway|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830212521/http://www.gu.edu.au/centre/gccm/InfoSheet/Seaway.pdf |archive-date=30 August 2006 }}</ref> works at [[Narrow Neck, Queensland|Narrow Neck]] that resulted in the Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy<ref>{{cite web|url=http://coastalmanagement.com.au/projects/NGCBPS/ |title=Northern Gold Coast Beach Protection Strategy |publisher=International Coastal Management |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131021435/http://www.coastalmanagement.com.au/projects/NGCBPS |archive-date=31 January 2010 }}</ref> and works at the [[Tweed River (New South Wales)|Tweed River]] that became the [[Tweed River (New South Wales)|Tweed River]] Entrance Sand Bypassing Project.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tweedsandbypass.nsw.gov.au/ |title=Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project |publisher=New South Wales Government |work=Tweed Sand Bypassing |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100308123747/http://www.tweedsandbypass.nsw.gov.au/ |archive-date=8 March 2010  }}</ref>

By 2005 most of the recommendations of the 1971 Delft Report had been implemented. [[City of Gold Coast]] commenced implementation of the [[Palm Beach, Queensland|Palm Beach]] Protection Strategy<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=651|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212161927/http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=651|url-status=dead|title=Palm Beach Protection Strategy|archivedate=12 December 2007}}</ref> but ran into considerable opposition from the community participating in a NO REEF protest campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sargesdailysurf.com/archives/news/2004/0104/240104b.html |title=No Reef Campaign |work=SargesDailySurf.com |access-date=2 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013224829/http://sargesdailysurf.com/archives/news/2004/0104/240104b.html |archive-date=13 October 2007 }}</ref> The [[City of Gold Coast Council]] then committed to completing a review of beach management practices to update the Delft Report. The [[Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070218074629/http://www.griffith.edu.au/centre/gccm/gcsmp/ Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan] Griffith University</ref> will be delivered by organisations including the [[Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland)|Environmental Protection Agency]], [[City of Gold Coast]] and the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management. Gold Coast City is also investing into the quality and capacity of the [[Gold Coast Oceanway]] that provides [[sustainable transport]] along Gold Coast beaches.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Take the sustainable transport challenge|url=https://www.wearegoldcoast.com.au/articles/sustainable-transport|access-date=2021-08-28|website=WeAreGC|language=en-US|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828191643/https://www.wearegoldcoast.com.au/articles/sustainable-transport|url-status=live}}</ref>