Tonnes of rocks dumped at Cronulla Beach to prevent coastal erosion
Major work has been carried out in the past couple of weeks at Cronulla’s north beach after damaging storms, swells and tides lashed the coastline.
St George Shire Standard
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Around 7,000 tonne of boulders has been dumped on Cronulla’s north beach as part of short-term attempts to prevent further coastal erosion.
The work is part of remediation plans to the beach seawall after heavy erosion occurred last month from damaging storms, swells and tides.
A Sutherland Shire Council spokesman said the installation of around 7,000 tonne of rock to form a protective wall along some of the most at risk coastline had proved an effective short-term measure in guarding against further coastal erosion.
“Work also continues to restore safe access to the beaches along the numerous beach access tracks maintained by the council,” he said.
“The sand lost from our beaches will naturally return over time, with some areas of our beaches having already seen about 1.5m depth of sand returned since the most recent coastal erosion event.”
The council hopes to have people back onto the beach within the month.
The work has caused disruptions to the promenade walkway, car park and areas surrounding the North Beach Surf Club.
Locals had mainly praised the work carried out by the council so far but some questioned if it would all be for nought when more storms hit the coastline.
“Great work but the new plans won‘t stop another storm. Bit pointless the new plans,” Brendan Bruce Yourell said.
Damian Dennett said, “I agree, great work. Problem is the sea is more powerful than the rocks – need a permanent (well as long as that is) solution.”
“Boys are doing great job down there,” Shane Pannett said.
Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce said the rocks had been strategically placed, in consultation with experts, to ensure the rocks prevented further erosion, which by all reports they had.
He said the council had spent more than $1.5 million in recent weeks to carry out the works.
Cr Pesce some of the sand that had returned naturally was washed away in high tides overnight but it was a good sign the sand had come back, boding well for the busy summer months.
“I have been told the sand is sitting in Bate Bay and with the tides coming in and out that should bring all the sand back,” he said.
The Rix Group, a Kurnell construction company, posted an updated on Facebook on Friday saying the defence boulder wall had taken shape over the past couple of weeks.
“The sea defence boulder wall and the shaping of the batter is almost complete,” the post said.
“A great effort from The RIX Group team with lots of support from the local community and council.
“The next job for RIX on this project is to install new foundations for the lifeguard tower which needs to be back in position within the next few weeks ready for the upcoming season.”
Last month, huge swells and tides created a significant drop below where the surf lifesaving tower stood, which caused concerns it could topple over.
Therefore the council brought in a crane to remove the top part of the tower and placed it safely on the ground, leaving the slab and poles in place.
Cr Pesce said the main priority for the council was getting the surf club active before the summer season started.
He said it would be “business as usual” for the clubs.
Cr Pesce the council would remove the old North Beach Surf Club slab and poles, which were rusted, and replace it so people could walk underneath the structure to use as a viewing platform.
He said the council would then focus attention on filling in and cementing the honeycomb seawall which was located at Elouera beach.
Cr Pesce praised the work council management, experts and workers had done quickly after the beach eroded.
“There was a lot of mad panic in the beginning, and rightly so,” he said.
“I applaud everyone from management to workers who went straight into actions. We didn’t sit on our bums. We addressed the issues and that has eased concerns.”
The spokesman said council had recently adopted a Bate Bay Coastal Management Program which outlined long-term measures the council would undertake to address this issue.
“This will aid us in pursuing grant funding for major projects like an upgrade to the esplanade north of Cronulla Beach and a buried seawall along North Cronulla Beach,” he said.
“The actions outlined in the program are drawn from expert advice and three years of community consultation.
“Council is also working with the NSW Government to undertake a project which will see approximately 60,000 cubic metres of sand dredged from the main navigation channels of the Port Hacking River, following similar successful dredging operations in 2012 and 2007.
“The dredged sand will be deposited offshore at Cronulla to help replenish beaches, with works set to commence in early 2023.”
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