Practice torpedo washes up on popular beach

A 100-metre exclusion zone was put in place while police and the Australian Defence Force examined the object.

Police confirmed the device was an inert practice torpedo that had been used in a recent army drill off the Queensland coast.

Acting Inspector Leon Wort said the ADF has boxed up the device and returned it to its depot.

"It's been recovered and we've got no further concerns for public safety," he said.

"The ADF will ... work out what went wrong and why they couldn't recover it."

Insp Wort thanked the members of the public who alerted police and urged people not to handle suspect devices on the beach.

The Gold Coast beach has since reopened.