Currumbin Creek

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Currumbin Creek is a river on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. Its catchment covers about 489 square kilometres, and the creek is roughly 24 kilometres long. It starts in the Gold Coast hinterland below Mount Cougal in Springbrook National Park and flows north-east through the Currumbin Valley before reaching Currumbin, where it is crossed by the Pacific Motorway and the Gold Coast Highway and finally empties into the Coral Sea at Currumbin Alley. The creek drops about 138 metres from source to mouth.

At the mouth, Currumbin Alley has a 100-metre-long, 30–40-metre-wide swimming canal that points north. This area was created after the Palm Beach Bowls Club was cleared and turned into a grassy park with a path to the water. The canal area is popular for swimming because it is calmer than many inland waters, which can have dangerous waves or wildlife.

Currumbin Creek has an extensive canal system, similar to nearby Tallebudgera Creek and Nerang River, and the canals are lined with some of the Gold Coast’s most expensive homes. The lower estuary is shaped by tides and shifting coastal sands, so dredging is sometimes needed to keep the mouth open and help prevent floods.

The lower estuary is a popular spot for fishing, swimming, surfing and boating. The City of Gold Coast supports restoration work through the Beaches to Bushland program, and the Currumbin Creek Care Group, established in 2008, helps restore native vegetation along the creek.

History and dredging: The first bridge across the creek opened in 1926. The road has had several names and is now the Gold Coast Highway. Dredging has occurred at various times since 1974, with about 1.85 billion cubic metres of sand moved to nourish Palm Beach. In 2007, dredging at the mouth created a shallow bottom and a calm lagoon for families. In 2008, the operation deepened the mouth and shifted sand to Palm Beach to help replace sand lost to erosion.

A boardwalk runs through the Boree Bodalla Mangrove Reserve, with two fishing platforms. It’s a popular route for cycling, running and walking along the creek.