Landforms and Resource Management Issues of the Coastal Zone of south-eastern Queensland-mid North Coast, New South Wales, Australia

Bruce P. Hooper
The University of Queensland
Department of Geographical Sciences and Planning
Brisbane Qld 4072
Australia

Slide Show!
  1. Map showing major cities in Australia. The following images were taken near the city of Brisbane on the east coast of Queensland and New South Wales.


  2. Welcome to the panoramic beaches of northern New South Wales: extensive depositional and erosional beachscapes. (Kingscliffe beach. Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  3. Zeta-curved beaches characterise the northern NSW beachscapes, caused by northerly longshore drift (towards camera). (Fingal Head beach, Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  4. The Gold Coast - Australia's own Miami: highrise development to the foredune. (Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland 1 hour's drive south from Brisbane)


  5. High rise development like this continues to encroach on the coastal zone creating increasing population pressures. (Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland)



  6. The eastern Australian beaches are renown for their surfing attractions, making this one of Australia's favourite all-year holiday destinations. (Cooloongatta beach, Queensland)


  7. Like the Gold Coast, the Noosa Heads region is experiencing unprecedented economic growth as a up-market holiday destination. (Noosa Heads, Queensland one hour's drive north from Brisbane)

  8. The Sunshine Coast includes the Noosa Heads area (slide 6) and is experiencing rapid urbanisation of a tropical fruit growing region. (Sunshine coast hinterland, Queensland one hour's drive north from Brisbane)

  9. Landuse development as plantation forestry: one of the many diverse land uses of this coastal zone. (Sunshine coast hinterland, Queensland one hour's drive north from Brisbane)

  10. Off-shore island - part of the erosional coastal landform suite. Surrounded by subtropical reefs. (Fingal Head beach, Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  11. Highly eroded headlands include many erosional features, separated by beach zones and adjacent wind blown sand dune systems. (Scott's Head beach, mid-north coast , New South Wales)

  12. Wave cut bench, part of the erosional landforms typical of this section of NSW coastal zone. (Scott's Head beach, mid-north coast , New South Wales)

  13. Students studying wave cut foredunes - part of a coastal zone processes unit of secondary school geography courses. (Burleigh Heads beach, Queensland)

  14. Wave cut dune system: a unique feature caused by a period of erosive wave energy. (Burleigh Heads beach, Queensland)


  15. Coastal zone replenishment program. Coastal zone replenishment program. Developers must trade the right for development (slides 3 and 4) by returning sand extracted for development to the beach zone. (Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Queensland)

  16. Results of sand mining (for rutile) in the 1970s - rehabilitation of a mobile dune sheet to restore dune ecosystems. (Kingscliffe beach. Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  17. Entrainment of creeks and river mouths is used to increase navigation, but can produce detrimental erosion in adjacent beach zones, and alter upstream estuarine ecology. (Cudgen Creek, Kingscliffe beach. Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  18. These estuarine zones have special environmental values as fish breeding sites. Currently threatened by upstream siltation from sub-tropical agricultural and urban development. (Cudgen Creek, Kingscliffe beach. Kingscliffe, New South Wales)

  19. Australia's largest sand deposit and classified as part of the national estate. The photo shows a foredune blowout. Note massive size of dune sheet and blowout. (Fraser Island, Queensland)

  20. Perched freshwater lakes on the island contain aquatic ecosystems with some of Australia's most important conservation values, due to their unique aeolian origin and biodiversity values. (Fraser Island, Queensland)

  21. These freshwater streams on the Fraser sand mass are noted for their high conservation values, including those of the subtropical rainforest ecosystems in the adjacent riparian zone. Water quality is exceptionally high. (Fraser Island, Queensland)

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