The sinkhole at Jumpinpin beach on North Stradbroke Island. Photograph: Surf Life Saving Qeensland/AAP

Large sinkhole swallows beach on Queensland's North Stradbroke Island

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Surf Life Saving Queensland urges swimmers to stay away from the hole, warning of strong currents and unstable sand

A sinkhole the size of a football field has opened up on an island off south-east Queensland.

Sinkhole swallows car and caravan at Queensland's Inskip Point campsite

Surf Life Saving Queensland has warned swimmers to stay away from the hole, which has swallowed part of unpatrolled Jumpinpin beach on North Stradbroke Island.

A spokeswoman said the sinkhole was about 100 metres wide and had opened up sometime on Wednesday.

She said it was quite a distance away from any patrolled areas and lifeguards were urging people to keep clear. “There are really strong currents in the water and the sand is quite unstable,” she said.

In September a hole swallowed a caravan, car trailer and tents further north at Inskip Point, near Rainbow Beach. That event was described as a “near-shore landslide event” rather than a true sinkhole.