Recent pounding surf has led to short-term erosion at some Eurobodalla beaches. While the waves lashed the coastline, community members were workshopping strategies to help the shire weather coastal hazards – erosion, inundation, and water quality – into the future.
Eurobodalla Council is preparing the Open Coast: Coastal Management Program to identify and protect Eurobodalla’s vulnerable beaches, headlands and shorelines. Five interactive workshops were held online, with 33 attendees representing communities from along the shire’s 140 plus kilometres of coast.
Council’s coastal planner Cameron Whiting said consistent community concerns centred around beach access, the health of coastal waterways, and protecting property and infrastructure from coastal hazards.
“We’re seeing a burst of development just now. People want this done sustainably and without impacting the water quality and biodiversity of our beaches and waterways,” Mr Whiting said.
“There was no real push for hard management options, except at Caseys Beach and, potentially, Surfside. That’s not surprising given the coastal hazard threat is low at most locations.
“We also looked at coastal access and gathered a lot of good historical data from locals.”
The workshop results will be used alongside technical investigations to develop draft management options. Mr Whiting said these too would be taken to the community for workshopping.
“Next up, we’ll be putting our draft Coastal Hazard Assessment on the website,” he said.
The Open Coast: Coastal Management Program is funded under the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Grants Program and the draft program will be put on public exhibition in early 2022. For more information visit www.esc.nsw.gov.au/cmp.
Above: Heavy surf has caused short-term erosion at several locations along Eurobodalla’s 140 plus kilometres of coastline, including at Longbeach.
