Portsea beach petition: Thousands call for groyne to bring sand back

Angry locals say the State Government has walked away from a promise to restore their prized beach.

Pressure is mounting to restore Portsea beach to its former glory amid claims the State Government has “walked away from the mess”.

Thousands of frustrated Victorians have signed a petition demanding action to bring back the prized beach which was washed away after a controversial 2008-09 dredging program.

Signs encouraging people to join the fight have popped up around Portsea and more than 5,600 people have signed the petition.

Petition creator Sue Davis said the dredging, undertaken as part of the Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project, had created a dangerous swell that had washed away the beach, threatened nearby properties and made the water unsafe for swimmers and divers.

She said engineering reports indicated the erosion was most likely due to the channel deepening.

The petition called for a groyne from the end of the beach to check erosion, bring sand back to the beach and stop it moving upstream.

Nepean Ratepayers Association president Colin Watson said community anger was growing over broken promises to restore the once lucrative tourist attraction.

He feared the government had “walked away from the mess”.

“I’m appalled that the State Government has backslid from its promise to work with Mornington Peninsula Shire council to return the sandy beach to Portsea,” Mr Watson said.

“The Environment Minister (Lily D’Ambrosio) gave the assurance before the 2018 state election and the community took it on good faith.”

In a 2018 letter to then Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Bryan Payne Ms D’Ambrosio committed to “further investigate other options that will facilitate the return of the sandy beach at Portsea”.

However, on Christmas Eve 2020 the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning told Mr Watson via email that there were no “current plans to investigate further options at Portsea front beach”.

“No option has been identified that is cost or technically effective in managing coastal hazards at Portsea front beach while meeting community expectations of restoring the beach condition,” DELWP regional director Port Phillip Region Stephen Chapple wrote.

He said DELWP remained open to consider new proposals if fresh evidence was presented.

Since 2010 at least $8 million has been spent on measures to fix the problem including the $2.5 million replacement of a sandbag wall in 2019/20.

The wall was first erected a decade ago as a buffer between the Portsea pub and clifftop houses and the advancing sea.

A State Government spokesman said DELWP was continuing to work with the council to manage Portsea front beach.

“A number of investigations have been carried out since 2010, looking at sand, rock, seawalls, offshore breakwaters and dredging, to limit erosion on Portsea beach,” the spokesman said.

Mr Watson said a long term fix was identified involving the reconfiguration of the sea floor was identified in 2017 but the government baulked at the $20 million price tag.

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