Gold Coast Broadwater
| Gold Coast Broadwater | |
|---|---|
| Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour, and The Broadwater | |
View from a helicopter over Southport across the Broadwater to Main Beach and the Pacific Ocean beyond, 2006 | |
| Location | Gold Coast, South East Queensland |
| Coordinates | 27°57′57″S 153°25′16″E / 27.96583°S 153.42111°E |
| Part of | Moreton Bay Marine Park |
| River sources | Coomera, Nerang, and Pimpama Rivers; Loders, Biggera, Behm, and Wasp Creeks |
| Primary outflows |
|
| Ocean/sea sources | |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Average depth | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Max. depth | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Salinity | 33 ppt |
| Surface elevation | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Frozen | never |
| Islands | Crab, Ephraim, Wave Break |
| Settlements | Gold Coast |
| References | |
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as the Southport Broadwater or simply the Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary located in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Connected directly to the Coral Sea towards its southern end via the artificial Gold Coast Seaway, which stabilised the formerly northward moving mouth of the Nerang River, the estuary reaches from the locality of Southport in the south, to the southern section of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay in the north, through which it is also connected to the sea. The Broadwater is separated from the ocean by South Stradbroke Island north of the seaway and Southport Spit to the south. The original body of water was a lagoon formed by water from the Nerang River entering the area behind the former Stradbroke Island (now split in two). Part of the Broadwater is contained within the Moreton Bay Marine Park.