Sinkhole swallows shoreline at Inskip Point – where tourists gather to take the ferry to holiday island K’Gari
The moment much of the beach’s shoreline collapsed into the ocean was filmed by Australian park rangers.
Staff of the Queensland The Ministry of Environment, Science and Innovation on Monday monitored the landslide, also known as a sinkhole, at Inskip Point on the state’s southeast coast.
Witnesses were stunned as the sinkhole quickly swept away much of the sandy coastline, which broke apart in the waves.
The department explained: ‘Inskip Point is a sandy area of land built up by wind and waves.’
The beach is the closest point on the mainland to K’Gari, formerly Fraser Island, and tourists flock here to take the car ferry ride to the island.
The same beach made headlines after a sinkhole, longer than a football field and several meters deep, swallowed a car, caravan, camper and tents.
Rangers filmed the moment a large section of coastline collapsed in a landslide – commonly called a sinkhole – at Inskip Point in Queensland
The steep ridge left by the landslide was well larger than that of an adult, with the sand forming a layer on top of the salt water.
The department said sinkholes are common in the area.
‘The peninsula is a very dynamic environment where strong winds and waves naturally influence the sandy coastline.
‘These events at Inskip Point are commonly referred to as sinkholes, but technically they are known as coastal landslides.’
They said that while they “cannot predict,” Inskip Point is a known sinkhole location.
Despite the coastline collapse, the sand on the beach will soon be replenished as the cliffs collapse further south along the Cooloola coast, causing the sand to move north.
‘Following similar events near Inskip Point, QPWS has introduced a buffer zone along the coastline, with no camping or vehicles allowed in this zone. The portion of the beach remains open for pedestrians and daytime activities,” the department said.
‘Camping area boundaries are maintained behind vegetated foredune areas to reduce impact on stabilizing vegetation and reduce potential risk to campers.’
The department noted that landslides ‘cannot be predicted’, but Inskip Point is a known sinkhole location
The department introduced a “buffer zone” near the sinkhole, where camping and vehicles were prohibited
