Palm Beach on Gold Coast to be revamped with artificial reef

Gold Coast attraction Palm Beach is set to be revamped to help protect its shoreline.

The proposal comes after Cyclone Oswald battered the coast in 2013 and nearly destroyed some Palm Beach homes.

The proposed solution is to manipulate the direction of waves, by placing boulders 300m off the coast – an artificial reef.

“The shoreline will be protected, lives will be saved and property saved,” Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate told 9NEWS.

9NEWS obtained footage of the scale model, set up in a tank in Brisbane which mimics how the artificial reef would shape the waves.

The reef is also expected to create new fishing spots and scuba diving opportunities.

“This will be a four year project around 20 million dollars, and I say we have got to get this right, once we do the people of the Gold Coast will want to see more,” Mr Tate said.