Sydney has endured a rough run of summers, sullied by bushfire and smoke, COVID restrictions, rain and floods. This summer, the city will be without one of its favourite beaches.
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed inclement weather has delayed the replacement of the Nielsen Park seawall by several months, meaning it will not be finished until next year.
Works to replace the seawall at Shark Beach, Vaucluse, began in March 2022 but have been dogged by relentless rain.Credit: Dean Sewell
NPWS is rebuilding the concrete seawall at Shark Beach next to Nielsen Park in Vaucluse. The 160-metre barrier, built in the 1930s, was badly damaged during storms in 2016 and has reached the end of its serviceable life, the agency says.
The project began in March and was scheduled for completion by December, just in time for the busy summer period. At the time, NPWS said it had budgeted a number of days for adverse weather but warned extended bad weather could delay completion.
This week a spokesperson confirmed the relentless rain had significantly delayed several projects, including the Shark Beach seawall.
“Continued poor weather has forced delays to a number of projects across the Sydney region, including the Nielsen Park seawall replacement, new whale watching platform at Cape Solander and North Head upgrade by several months,” a NPWS spokesperson said.
Shark Beach at Nielsen Park is a Sydney favourite and is on Tourism Australia’s list of the city’s top beaches.Credit: Dean Sewell
Earlier this year NPWS Greater Sydney director Deon van Rensburg said the new seawall would be the same length as the old one and give greater protection to Nielsen Park. The works would also include a wheelchair-accessible ramp, resurfaced promenade and a slight increase to the lawn and beach surface areas.
Loved by locals and visitors, Shark Beach is on Tourism Australia’s list of the nine best beaches in Sydney. It is also home to popular Bill Drakopoulos restaurant and kiosk The Nielsen, which has closed for the seawall reconstruction.
Woollahra mayor Susan Wynne said the delay was disappointing for locals and visitors, but it was unavoidable. “There’s nothing we can do. If it’s not ready, it’s not ready,” she said. “It needs to be done.”
Wynne said the prolonged closure would put pressure on nearby harbour beaches such as Camp Cove at Watsons Bay – which already struggles with summer crowds and traffic – and Redleaf, although she noted it may be less of a problem if the wet weather persisted into summer.
The old seawall was badly damaged by storms in 2016 and had reached the end of its serviceable life.Credit: Dean Sewell
Sydney is on track to have its wettest year ever. A record-breaking 1547.4 millimetres of rain fell between January and June, and the July rainfall record was broken just halfway through the month. The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting above-average rainfall for August, September and October. Sydney’s annual rainfall record is 2194 millimetres, and more than 1913 millimetres have fallen this year to date.
Delaney Civil, the engineering firm rebuilding the Shark Beach seawall, referred questions to the NPWS. “Public access to the beach and promenade will be reinstated as soon as it is safe to do so,” the NPWS says on its website.
Asbestos was found in the fill under the concrete seawall during its demolition. It was removed in April.
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