Byron Bay beach erosion measures put in place

Authorities are scrambling to come up with a long-term plan to save a world famous stretch of sand as temporary measures are made more permanent.

A long-term plan to protect one of Australia’s most famous stretches of sand against erosion is eluding major stakeholders as they make temporary measures more permanent.

Clarkes Beach in Byron Bay, along with Main Beach to the north, were hit hard by erosion in the second half of 2020.

For Ben Kirkwood, who has operated the Beach Restaurant overlooking Clarkes Beach since 2006, it culminated in erosion that came within 15cm of his venue late last year.

Mr Kirkwood said the erosion was at its worst after a final collapse the morning workers arrived to begin protection works, which included the installation of a large number of sandbags.

He had only signed a 25-year lease with Crown Lands for the continued use of the restaurant and kiosk building at the start of 2020.

The dunes started to degrade rapidly as a result of severe weather about June 2020.

The view of Beach Byron Bay restaurant, reinforced by a sandbag wall on Clarkes Beach, pictured on June 7, 2021. Picture: Liana Boss

Mr Kirkwood said several metres of dune disappeared from in front of the restaurant.

He said a “perfect storm” of conditions eroded more of the dunes in the months that followed.

“Basically every high tide every month we would have the same effect and we’d have more and more (sand lost),” he said.

“We were looking at a seven metre drop down to the beach.”

The big concern was that any further erosion would undermine the building.

He said the initial approach from Crown Lands was that the restaurant would need to be demolished but a long conversation between the parties ensued.

Byron Bay lifeguard supervisor Steve Mills at Main Beach Byron Bay in July 2020.

Mr Kirkwood said he met with Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey in Sydney who used her discretionary power to order sandbags be installed along the duneline to protect the Crown Lands asset.

The neighbouring Reflections Holiday Park was similarly supported and kept safe through that measure.

“This has been more scary, more threatening, more stressful than even Covid,” Mr Kirkwood said.

“We thought we were going to lose everything, the building our lives, our mortgages, and all that stuff.”

Crown Lands engineers shut down the business temporarily while they undertook the excavation works and confirmed it was safe to continue using the venue.

Beach Byron Bay restaurant owner Ben Kirkwood outside his business at Clarkes Beach. Picture: Liana Boss

Now, there’s more sand in front of the Beach Restaurant than Mr Kirkwood has seen before.

The beach has naturally built back up in front of the dune and some of the sandbags have been covered.

Initially, the sandbags were designed to be a 90-day emergency measure.

Mr Kirkwood was last year told he would need to reconfigure his restaurant during that time.

But he said it would have been impossible to get a development application through in that time, especially being in public land.

“Common sense prevailed finally and … earlier this year they agreed when they put the development application in it would go in for five years,” he said.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment – Crown Lands and Reflections Holiday Park have each lodged applications with Byron Shire Council to keep their sandbags in place for about five years.

Those works cost an estimated $1.3 million to put in place.

Erosion in Byron Bay, June 7, 2021. Picture: Liana Boss

A spokesman for the Crown Lands branch of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment said their proposal would allow for more time to cement a long-term plan.

Mr Kirkwood has been told the restaurant will ultimately need to be reconfigured or relocated.

Work is under way on a Coastal Management Program for the Byron Coast.

A scoping study for the area from South Golden Beach to Cape Byron was adopted by the council in 2020.

Beach Byron Bay restaurant owner Ben Kirkwood says his building is safe after sandbags were installed in 2020. Picture: Liana Boss

Mr Kirkwood said his restaurant was “extremely safe” while that long term planning happened.

“They’ve rebuilt the dune out to its original tow point, 18 metres from the building,” he said.

He is taking a flexible approach to the future of his business.

“We need to be willing to be flexible,” he said.

He said if the stakeholders decided he needed to relocate, he would be happy to do so as long that made sense economically for his business.

“That’s only possible if Crown Lands and council and all the stakeholders and the community say that’s what they want to see happen,” he said.

Erosion has been an ongoing problem on Main Beach and Clarkes Beach in Byron Bay, pictured on June 7, 2021. Picture: Liana Boss

“It’s really for Crown Lands and council and the stakeholders, Arakwal and National Parks and the community to have a chance to consider this and basically, the real nub of the issue is we have no coastal management plan in place.

“It’s now out of our hands … but we have a 25 year lease.”

Mr Kirkwood said there was a silver lining to having a venue on the precipice.

“Because we've lost so much vegetation and so much bushland in front of us we have amazing ocean views,” he said.

“But it’s a bit like sitting in a bow of a boat.

“On a really windy, stormy day it’s quite a problem for us.”