- Swimmers flock to the creek
- It is contaminated with sewage
- Read more: Sydney's dirtiest beaches revealed
Hundreds of people continued to flock to a popular swimming spot despite a major sewage leak. Visitors describe the smell as 'putrid'.
Tallebudgera Creek on the Gold Coast is closed between Schuster Park and Tallebudgera Creek Beach after the leak that started on Sunday.
But as temperatures soared into the 30s on Monday, throngs of swimmers ignored the grim reality of water quality and took a dip.
Teenagers, some completely unaware of the sewage leak, were even seen jumping from the bridge into the water.
Hundreds of swimmers have continued to flock to Tallebudgera Creek despite a sewage leak
Area councilor Daphne McDonald said a burst sewer line was the cause of the drain, according to the Courier mail.
“Gold Coast Water attended the scene (on Sunday) and carried out a surface clean-up and addressed the burst main pipe,” she said.
'I understand it is a sewer line 960 which has been diverted for the works on the M1.
'Officers will be back on site to conduct further investigations and understand the necessary works.'
Those who came across the leak, which came from the Gold Coast Council's own treatment plant, described the smell as 'disgusting'.
Local man Jordie Harris recorded a video showing the drainage into the creek.
“This is straight from the treatment plant and the smell in here is putrid,” he said in the video.
“There's a pipe coming out of here, but look, the smell is disgusting.”
A local resident captured the spill on video and described the smell as 'putrid' and 'disgusting'
The Gold Coast Council said a burst sewer pipe was the cause of the spill
Tiffany Winn drove from Brisbane to the popular destination, but decided not to swim in the creek.
“(It's) family friendly, good for kids,” she said.
'(I'm) a little (concerned about the sewage leakage and I am), I would like to hear from the municipality because I would like to know the results.'
Ellie Taylor, 18, said she was not aware of the spill until she arrived at the creek, but decided to take a dip despite the warnings.
“I guess it's not great, I'm here, and I had no idea (until) I got here,” she said.
Gold Coast Council's environmental team said the creek would be closed until tests showed it was safe to use
The Council's environmental team said the closure of the creek was a precautionary measure and the area would be closed until tests show it is safe to use again.
“The safety of our staff, residents and visitors is our first priority and clean-up efforts are in full swing,” the council said in a statement.
'Residents and visitors are asked to respect all signage and avoid using the waterway/watershed for recreational purposes until further notice.
'We apologize for any inconvenience caused and thank all customers/residents/visitors for their patience and assistance.'
Tallebudgera Creek is one of the Gold Coast's best-known waterways and has been extremely popular in recent days as the region experiences a heatwave.