Tourists' lucky escape prompts warning at Aussie beach

Visitors to a popular Queensland beach are being warned to be careful after a large land slip almost buried a 4WD on the sand.

The red Holden Trailblazer was parked at the base of the Coloured Sands at Rainbow Beach when part of the cliff face collapsed. Tonnes of debris and several trees were pictured piled up on the sand below, partially covering the vehicle.

Thankfully, the occupants were outside of the car at the time.

Tyron van Santen, director of Epic Ocean Adventures Noosa, said it’s the biggest land slip he’s seen happen in front of him.

“[I’ve seen] smaller ones and overnight slips that have happened but never such a big one live and hitting a car,” he told Yahoo News Australia, adding that the occupants of the car were “very lucky” to have escaped unscathed.

“They were able to get themselves out with some digging and towing and drive it off the beach however the car had significant panel damage.”

Images from the scene show sand and tree branches covering the car’s bonnet, while another photo after the car was freed shows dents and damage to the driver’s side.

Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point are popular spots for four-wheel-driving and camping, featuring wide sandy beaches along a scenic headland. As their name suggests, the Coloured Sands are known for their colours and their size, reaching heights of up to 80 metres.

'Stay vigilant,' expert warns

Mr van Santen urged tourists to be careful when visiting the area, saying sand dunes are not to be climbed or driven on except in designated camping areas.

“There are recommendations not to park cars at the bottom of the cliffs as they can be unstable and fall at any time. Park away from steep cliff faces and don’t climb on the sands, they can be very unstable and have significant cultural values to the local Indigenous people,” he said.

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He also said there has been an influx of new drivers on the beach in recent years and warned them to plan ahead.

“Travel around the low tide, for example leaving Noosa three hours before low tide is a good recommendation as this gives you generally a lot of time on the beach without being in challenging conditions and limited beach access with higher tides.

“Don’t drive on a higher tide. You can see tide times for over 12 months in advance so plan your trip and times around the tide times.”

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