When the story of the North Bribie Island restoration is told in years to come, chances are the images people remember will have come from the lens of Caloundra’s own Doug “Bluey” Bazley. With the first stage of the $20 million restoration project drawing to a close, Caloundra Chronicle caught up with Doug and partner Tina to chat about the documenting of one of the region’s most talked-about coastal engineering efforts.
The ambitious project is restoring sections of the Bribie Island bar and repairing the breakthroughs that opened between the ocean and the Pumicestone Passage after severe weather events. It’s a complex, bespoke job involving multiple stakeholders including the Queensland Government and contractors Hall Contracting.
Doug, the face behind Bluey’s Photography, was contracted in September 2025 to document the works from the early reconnaissance stage through to the final sand pushes.
Since then, it’s meant a lot of early mornings. Working alongside Tina and their trusty drone “Buzz”, Bluey has been capturing daily photo and video footage of the operation, slowly building what has now become an extraordinary visual archive of the project.
Watching it unfold day by day has been remarkable. “Sometimes you step back and look at it and think, how on earth did they even manage this?” Doug says.
“It’s incredible to see all the machines working, the sand pumping through those welded pipes, the bulldozers pushing and compacting.”
Of course, no project of this scale runs perfectly. “There’s been boggings, setbacks, and wins,” Doug laughs.
One of the most dramatic moments came in late October when a digger bogged badly and the rescue effort quickly caught the attention of social media. Overnight, Doug says, views of his footage skyrocketed from around three million to more than 21 million.
But the moment that really stuck with him was far quieter.
Doug was on site the day the final gap in the breakthrough was closed. The closer it got, the more powerful the tidal water surged. As bulldozers pushed sand into the narrowing gap, the water continued to force its way through like rapids. And then suddenly – it was sealed.
“I thought there’d be cheering or something,” he says. “But there wasn’t a sound. It was just quiet.” Doug sat there with his son watching the water settle. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘Wow… look at this.’”
Beyond the engineering spectacle, Bluey has also become something of a steady voice in the often-heated online conversations about the project. Having photographed that stretch of Bribie by drone since 2017, he’s watched the coastline change over time and often shares that long-term perspective with followers.
“There’s a lot of theories out there,” he says. “But when you’ve got the photos year after year, you can clearly see what’s been happening.”
With the primary breakthrough now officially closed, Dredger Arnhem continues to deepen the northern channel of the Passage, improving tidal flow and navigation. Another pumps sand along a two-kilometre stretch of Bribie’s ocean side, rebuilding dunes and widening the island to create a much-needed erosion buffer before the next storm season rolls in.
The final dredging phase is expected to wrap up around April 2026, followed by revegetation and finishing works. After that, longer-term solutions – possibly including rock reinforcement – will move through environmental approvals and planning processes.
As for Bluey and Tina? Once the dust (and sand) settles, they’re planning something a little slower paced. “We’re going to pack up the van and head off for a few months,” Doug grins. “Just travel and photograph this amazing country.”
But before they hit the road, locals can expect one more project – a coffee-table photo book capturing the remarkable transformation of North Bribie through Bluey’s Lens.
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