Coastal processes

For thousands of years The Spit’s beach has been shaped by prevailing wind and wave conditions. Sand that is lost from Buddina Beach can spend several years accumulating in deposits around Point Cartwright. Depending on wave conditions, this sand can end up at Mooloolaba Bay or Beach or be carried to Alexandra Headland Beach. Northerly wind and wave conditions may cause either significant erosion of the dunes or sand movement onto the beach.

In 1931 erosion from the sea conditions cut a channel through the narrow neck of land in The Spit camping grounds, which is now the site of Arthur Parkyn Park. In 1936, cyclonic weather caused the erosion of the sand dunes by twenty metres and washed one house into the sea. Despite ongoing management, the erosion and deposition of The Spit’s sand will continue to be shaped by the forces of nature.