Future of West Beach Surf Lifesaving Club hangs in balance as beach slowly erodes away

The future of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club hangs in the balance, with no resolution in sight after years of fruitless wrangling over whether the embattled club will redevelop or relocate — or simply be washed away.

President of West Beach Surf Life Saving Club, Peter Zuil says the future of the embattled club lies between the devil and the deep blue sea. Picture: AAP / Matt Loxton

• Eroded West Beach dunes get superficial surgery
• Cost of fixing West Beach club soars
• West Beach coastal path plans hit wall

The future of the West Beach Surf Life Saving Club hangs in the balance, with no resolution in sight after years of fruitless wrangling over whether the embattled club will redevelop or relocate — or simply be washed away.

“We literally sit between the devil and the deep blue sea,” says exasperated club president Peter Zuill after yet another round of talks last week with the Department of Environment and Water and Charles Sturt Council failed to provide any certainty on the path ahead.

At the heart of the club’s challenge is the massive erosion and destabilisation of the sand dunes, beach profile and crumbling rock wall in front of the club, which members fear is in danger of collapse.

The rock wall, and the erosion on the West Beach. Picture: City of Charles Sturt

“I’m still not sure what the department or council’s plan is after the latest meeting but what is clear is that it will be at least a year or two before we see any significant changes or we know what to expect,” said Mr Zuill.

He said in the meantime, the operation of the club was in peril because at high tide there was no beach and much of the time the club could not even use the ramp that provides access because it is under water.

“It’s very dangerous at the moment and, given the conditions, it’s often not an ideal place to swim so now we have to do most of our work away from the club to the north, which puts a big extra workload on our volunteers,” he says.

Lifesavers used to patrol from the club but can no longer do so. Nor can the club host lifesaving carnivals.

Sand pumping pipes hang precariously near West Beach Surf Lifesaving Club last week after more than a million cubic metres of sand mining has dramatically sped up dune and beach erosion. Picture: John Dundon

Mr Zuill said the sand dune just north of the end of the stone sea wall protecting the club had been badly eroded. Just fixing the stone wall was estimated to cost “far in excess” of $5.7 million — more than the cost of building a new clubhouse elsewhere.

“Now the sand pumping lines have been exposed and one big storm will mean the loss of millions of dollars. The erosion is so close to the stone wall that those pipes going will pull the rest of the sand wall down, which means the footpath to the beach is going to collapse, the rock wall is going to go and once you get past that, there is no protection for the clubhouse,” Mr Zuill said.

The club would prefer to relocate northwards to the Harold and Cynthia Anderson Reserve. However, when the council suggested that site there was a lot of pushback from residents.

“If erosion issues at West Beach were resolved, then the current site comes back as an option but there is no commitment to fixing the beach so we can’t have the current site as an option,” said Mr Zuill.

The exposed sand pumping pipes. Picture: City of Charles Sturt

At a meeting he attended in December with members of DEW, Charles Sturt Council and various other stakeholders on tackling sand erosion at West Beach, it was agreed that a possible solution would be to dump 1.5 million cubic metres of sand to remediate the erosion. After last week’s meeting with the council and the department, Mr Zuill was not optimistic.

“Nothing will happen until they find the money — but I don’t get the impression they even have a plan for that yet or how to solve the related issue of the survival of our lifesaving club,” he says.

Environment Minister David Speirs said that urgent carting of 25,000 cubic metres of sand would begin next Monday to tackle recent erosion at West Beach and Henley Beach South.

“The sand will be used to cover the exposed sand pumping pipeline on the dunes and raise beach levels near Rockingham St and also address beach erosion between Lexington and Henley Beach Rd,” he said.

Charles Sturt chief executive Paul Sutton said the council had not yet formed a view on the preferred location for the club. “However, from a community perspective, now that we know that the rock wall will protect the clubroom, remaining at the current location is likely to be the preferred option,” he said.