State’s beaches on brink of extinction due to sand erosion

Some of the nation’s most beautiful beaches are nestled in one state, but they could soon be a thing of the past if one huge issue isn’t dealt with.

Some of Australia’s most popular beaches are slowly washing away, with urgent action required to save the seaside suburbs.

Across South Australia, beaches are losing their shorelines to the ocean, but Henley Beach is the latest to slowly but surely succumb to nature.

Over the past year, staircases leading down to the beach have become inaccessible, while the boat ramp used for emergency access is also regularly at risk.

Henley Beach is in desperate need of extra sand. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

However, as of March 1, the Department of Environment and Water will be replenishing Henley Beach and Henley Beach South with 15,000 cubic metres of imported sand.

They will also be supplying 10,000 cubic metres to Semaphore Park.

In a statement, the City of Charles Sturt said the announcement was welcomed, but “the amounts of sand are still quite a small contribution and each year these City of Charles Sturt beaches lose around 115,000 cubic metres of sand as it flows northward.”

The help comes after a significant election promise to aid the struggling seaside was discarded last year.

On the eve of the March 2022 state election caretaker period, the then Liberal government agreed to spend $38.9m on a sand pipeline to replenish the West Beach area, with construction planned to start in April of that year.

Fast forward to the election of the Malinauskas Labor government and the idea was scrapped.

New Environment Minister Susan Close outlined a conflict of interest after new scientific information about the option was announced.

The Henley Beach Surf life saving club boat ramp is suffering from erosion, with the end exposed out of the sand. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Almost a year after that election, little has happened to combat the depleting sand, with levels at an “all time low” from West Beach through to Henley.

City of Charles Sturt CEO Paul Sutton told NCA NewsWire there are “acute issues” across the council’s coast.

“We now have acute issues in a number of areas of the Charles Sturt coast – at West Beach, at Henley South, Henley Beach and at Semaphore Park,” Mr Sutton said.

“Our staff are monitoring our beaches on a daily basis to ensure access ways are safe.

“We are extremely concerned about the loss of sand and damage to infrastructure and assets. “This includes the walls along the coast, footpaths and eventually the adjacent road way and buildings such as Joe’s Kiosk are also being impacted.”

He said the council has used sandbags to help make the beach access safe but are having to close some depending on sand levels where the drop between the path and the beach is too great.

Neighbouring Mayor Amanda Wilson said Holdfast Bay already has a pipeline in place. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Amanda Wilson, the mayor of the neighbouring City of Holdfast Bay, told NCA NewsWire the sand in Glenelg was the frontline protection against climate change events in the area.

“It provides the necessary protections from sea for the southern suburbs,” Ms Wilson said.

“The sand is the best line of defence for climate change and the rising sea levels.

“We do sand pumping from July through to November and all of that sand is collected from Glenelg Beach.

“We have pipes that pump it down south to Kingston Park and that replenishes our entire south.

“If we didn’t have that, we would virtually have no sand in Brighton, Somerton Park and there on.”

She said if sand wasn’t pumped and moved from Glenelg, the jetty would have no water under it.

“It got so bad down in Seacliff with the erosion that the water was coming up onto the road and took a couple of houses with it,” she said.

“And after that happened everyone realised we needed a more permanent carting out of sand through trucks and the pipeline.”

Ms Wilson said the trucking out of sand was inconvenient and annoying for some residents who might have the process happen right outside their homes, but residents in Glenelg are generally happy for it to happen because it keeps their beach operational.

“There needs to be protection between the sea and properties,” she said.

“If we didn’t have it here, we wouldn’t have beaches at Brighton, Seacliff – it’s essential. They would be sea walls.”

The local council is thankful for government help, but says it a small contribution. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

When asked what the City of Charles Sturt would like to see from both the state and federal governments to best deal with the situation, Mr Sutton said the beach would still lose a significant amount of sand despite help from the Department of Environment and Water.

“The sand erosion is a long term problem and we’ve had interim solutions across the years that have provided patchwork solutions in these areas,” he said.

“While we welcome this morning’s announcement from the Department of Environment and Water, the amount of sand is still quite a small contribution and each year these City of Charles Sturt beaches lose around 115,000 cubic metres of sand as it flows northward.

“The state government is now doing a further review which will take 12 months and we’d hope to have a long term and sustainable solution at the end of that.

“But there is an urgency right now to make sure there is sufficient sand coming in to maintain protection, especially as we head into winter and the storm season.”

Originally published as State’s beaches on brink of extinction due to sand erosion