GALLERY: Weather wreaks havoc on beaches, bridges as storm clouds loom again
Amid forecasts of renewed storms and severe weather, south coast residents surveyed the damage done to the region’s top beaches. See what they shared.
The South Coast News
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The south coast might have escaped the worst of the week’s wild weather, but as local councils scramble to repair bridges and cordon off eroded beaches, it’s clear a lot is still to be done.
From Narooma to the Illawarra, the south coast’s prized coastal getaways bore the brunt of renewed storm events that left much of the state’s north underwater.
On the far south coast, residents braved hazardous conditions to record the terrific waves crashing into popular swimming spots, such as the Bermagui Blue Pool.
Further north, accessways were destroyed and beaches left strewn with debris.
Visitors to Racecourse Beach near Burrill Lake were met with staggering sand cliffs resulting from erosion dealt to the shoreline when the clouds cleared.
A similar sight welcomed residents at Conjola Beach.
While at Mollymook, the beach was mostly hidden under abnormally high tides for much of the weekend.
The Shoalhaven City Council announced on Monday it would be undertaking dune rehabilitation work at Callala Bay, Bendalong, and Shoalhaven Heads on areas impacted by erosion.
“These important rehabilitation works will be completed as soon as practicable,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said rehabilitation primarily involved a coastal management technique known as Nature Assisted Beach Enhancement (NABE), also called beach scraping, which involved the mechanical movement of sand from the lower part of the beach onto the higher part of the beach, or sand dune.
“This technique mimics the natural accumulation of sand following a beach erosion event (and) has been planned in close consultation with the relevant state government agencies,” the spokesperson said.
“The planned outcomes from this work provide a sand buffer for the forecasted impacts, aimed to provide adequate short-term protection for council assets, natural areas, and cultural heritage.
“The council is frequently monitoring forecasts for potential storm surge and ocean swell events, which may impact on the current works.
“Council-appointed contractors have established appropriate exclusion zones for public safety.”
The Bega Valley Shire Council is currently inspecting and assessing all its affected coastal infrastructure following the extreme weather events over the weekend.
“Saturday’s large swells and accompanying wave overtopping and storm surges saw damage occur to drainage infrastructure associated with the new pathway at Tathra Headland, and a pedestrian bridge swept away by storm surge at Kianinny Bay, Tathra, as a large storm surge inundated the public park, boat ramps and barbecue area,” a council spokesperson said.
“Elsewhere damage was done to the furniture around Bermagui Bluepool and to the ocean pool within BBQ harbour. There was also minor damage done to the historic Merimbula and Tathra wharves.”
A council spokesperson said it had a longstanding beach dune protection program which recognised dune systems as the primary defence against coastal storm events and subsequent erosion.
“As such, the dune systems along the Bega Valley Shire are robust and healthy, with large volumes of sand present in most of our dunes,” the spokesperson said.
“The weekend’s storm event saw large south east swells impacting the majority of our coast, with the Tathra to Bermagui coastline appearing to have been impacted by the peak of the storm on Saturday.
“Erosion of our beaches is a regular and natural occurrence and inspections today revealed only isolated erosion impacts on certain sections of beaches.”
The council said it would be carrying out works on the beach access ways around Bermagui and Eden, which had seen sand washed from beneath them, leaving the timber and chain walkways in a potentially dangerous state.
“Local contractors will be engaged to reinstate walkways and ensure safe access to our popular beach access ways,” the spokesperson said.
“At present, Tathra Wharf is open with access via the public toilet ramp.
“Minor damage to one of the wharf piles will be repaired and cleaning of the debris on the vehicle access side will commence (today). Parking will be restricted to within 50m of the wharf to allow staff and machinery access to the site for clean-up.
“Tathra headland walk has received significant damage and will remain closed between the viewing platform and Tathra Wharf while crews clean up and assess the damage.
“Merimbula Wharf is open. Damage to one of the ladders requires repairs and reinstatement and a temporary barricade has been installed.”
An assessment of all affected coastal bridges, including Cuttagee, was being carried out by council.
At the popular beach spot of Long Beach, near Batemans Bay, the damaged caused by the weekend’s storm events was readily apparent, with erosion creeping close to the road.
Across the region, more rain is expected throughout the coming week.
In Batemans Bay, the Bureau of Meteorology forecasts rainfalls of up 50mm over Wednesday and Thursday, while in Ulladulla it could be as much as 60mm.
The agency also warns of strong winds for the Eden Coast on Tuesday, April 5, as of 3pm Monday.
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