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Tallebudgera/Currumbin Creeks Catchment and Estuary
Talle_Curr_catchment-map
Tallebudgera Catchment Facts
  • Total area: 110km2
  • Stream network length: 219km
  • Local Councils: Gold Coast (pop. 472,279)
  • Dominant land uses: native bush, suburban, grazing, intensive agriculture
  • Headwaters rise in the relatively pristine areas of the McPherson Ranges near the Qld-NSW border
  • Mid reaches flow through rural residential areas
  • Lower reaches not as urbanised as the catchments of Coomera and Nerang rivers
  • Mouth of Tallebudgera Creek stabilised by a rockwall
  • Riparian vegetation intact throughout much of the catchment
Currumbin Catchment Facts
  • Total area: 48km2
  • Stream network length: 126km
  • Local Councils: Gold Coast (pop. 472,279)
  • Dominant land uses: native bush, urban, grazing, intensive agriculture
  • Headwaters rise in the relatively pristine areas of the McPherson Ranges near the Qld-NSW border
  • Mid reaches flow through rural residential areas
  • Lower reaches not as urbanised as the catchments of Coomera and Nerang rivers
  • Mouth of Currumbin Creek almost completely blocked by a sandbar
  • Riparian vegetation intact throughout much of the catchment
Freshwater results
C Tallebudgera/Currumbin Catchment  
  • Streams are generally in very good condition
  • Annual scores for nutrient cycling and ecosystem processes indicators the highest since 2004
Estuarine results
B+ Tallebudgera Estuary   
  • Low dissolved oxygen and high phosphorus levels in the upper reaches.  More stringent water quality guidelines has also lead to non-compliance for some indicators
  • Lower freshwater inputs from the catchment resulting in higher salinity levels in the upper reaches of the estuary compared to 2006
  • Heavily impacted riparian thoughout the estuary
A- Currumbin Estuary   
  • Lower dissolved oxygen and higher phosphorus levels in the upper reaches compared with 2006; More stringent water quality guidelines has also lead to non-compliance for some indicators
  • Lower freshwater inputs from the catchment resulting in higher salinity levels in the upper reaches of the estuary compared to 2006
  • Heavily impacted riparian habitat throughout the estuary