Dredge for the Gold Coast

In January, Gold Coast City Marina saw the arrival of dredging equipment to the shipyard. The dredge was trucked down from Mackay to be assembled at the facility and launched using the versatile 150-tonne Shiplift.

The dredge will be working in the Broadwater region for a period of time to begin the much anticipated and needed work to the navigational channels, known as the marine highways to many Gold Coast boaties. This follows the Newman government's election pledge to revitalise the region’s waterways, which includes the reformation of a Gold Coast Waters Authority, per below government media extract.

Hon. S.A. Emerson (Indooroopilly LNP) Minister for Transport and Main Roads announced in October last year the introduction of the Gold Coast Waterways Authority Bill 2012.

This bill will re-establish a Gold Coast Waterways Authority, which was abolished in 1990. Its re-establishment will deliver on the government’s commitment to return control back to the local community. Through its re-establishment, the Gold Coast Broadwater and nearby waterways will no longer suffer from the previous government’s neglect. The Newman government will act to improve access to Gold Coast waterways by investing $30 million to re-establish the Gold Coast Waterways Authority. The goal is to help restore the Broadwater and surrounding Gold Coast waterways as a hub for recreational and tourist activity.