This beach was artificially created against the prevailing winds, and thus relies completely on artificial nourishment to prevent erosion of the heritage bluestone seawall and road. The beach is currently eroding at over 10m per year. It is renourished back to a width of 35m at high tide every 3 years. The beach is needing to be renourished more and more often due to the increasing frequency and severity of storm erosion events. As a result, the $3m in state funding allocated for the 2010-2024 period ran out early in 2020, as each renourishment costs at least $1m. Possible reasons for the lack of erosion control from renourishment alone are that the area is more exposed than adjacent areas that have found more success with renourishment. Some fencing has been put in to protect the dune areas in an attempt to encourage sand accumulation at a cost of $20,000. This dune vegetation provides a small sand reserve to protect against storm events, but does little to prevent the ongoing beach erosion from the prevailing conditions.

Beach renourishment

Method: Replenished

Sand source: Same sediment compartment

Sand volume (m2): 37,000

Sand placement: Visible beach

Frequency of renourishment: 3

Date of first renourishment: 1976

Date of last renourishment: 2020

Dune replanting or construction

Method: Rehabilitation, Revegetation

Rehabilitation - method: Restrict pedestrian access, Restrict vehicle access

Revegetation - species: Self seeded dune grass

Sand fence material: Treated timber and wire fence

Sand fence height (m): 1.2m