Another hole has opened up on a popular Queensland beach, not far from one that swallowed a caravan, a car and tents a few years ago.
The hole, at Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach, opened up on Sunday night or early Monday morning and is likely caused by undermining of the shoreline by tidal flow, waves and currents, authorities say.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service rangers monitoring the erosion are asking visitors to the popular camping area to take note of current park alerts and stay clear of the affected section of beach.
The affected area, which is being described as a "nearshore landslip", is about 200-300 metres wide and currently reaches to the tree line, the Department of Environment and Science said on Monday
No members of the public have been injured or have had property affected by the hole and the erosion has neither affected any campsites nor access to the barge to Fraser Island.
Footage taken from the air on Monday showed the extent of the erosion.
Diana Journeaux from Rainbow Beach Helicopters said the hole is just a few hundred metres from where another hole opened up in September 2015, forcing campers to flee as their gear was swallowed.
That incident forced the evacuation of the MV Beagle campground and left authorities struggling to retrieve expensive gear, including a caravan, a car, a trailer and tents.
"We fly every day and it wasn't there yesterday," Ms Journeaux told AAP.
"We don't know the story behind it yet."
Greg Pearce, who is skipper with Double Island Point Fishing Charters, said he travelled past the spot in his boat about 5.15am on Monday.
He took a video showing the water lapping heavily eroded sand banks that hugged the scrubby tree line.
"That was beach yesterday afternoon - there were people walking along that section," he told AAP.
"We could see (the hole) forming, could see stirred up water and the beach eroding."
He said the hole had been about 100 metres wide when they left to continue their fishing expedition.
Mr Pearce said it was unlikely to affect the MV Beagle campground, as they moved the sites back from the beach after the 2015 incident.
Australian Associated Press
