- Published on
By Catherine Watson
A GEOTEXTILE sandbag wall will be installed to try to save the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club, which is now just eight metres from the edge of the sand dunes.
At Inverloch today, Bass MP Jordan Crugnale announced State Government funding of $450,000 for the sandbag project with another $700,000 to develop long-term solutions over the wider Inverloch marine and coastal area.
“A long-term strategic approach must be taken to protect the social, environmental and economic values of our coastline and foreshores,” she said.
A GEOTEXTILE sandbag wall will be installed to try to save the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club, which is now just eight metres from the edge of the sand dunes.
At Inverloch today, Bass MP Jordan Crugnale announced State Government funding of $450,000 for the sandbag project with another $700,000 to develop long-term solutions over the wider Inverloch marine and coastal area.
“A long-term strategic approach must be taken to protect the social, environmental and economic values of our coastline and foreshores,” she said.
Ms Crugnale noted the local beach erosion was among the most aggressive in the country. The beach has receded by six metres a year since 2013, and the rate of erosion appears to speeding up, with over a metre of sand dune disappearing over a single weekend in September.
Since then, some $250,000 has been spent on dumping truckloads of sand in front of the clubhouse, but it was always regarded as an emergency, short-term measure to save the clubhouse until the end of the storm surge season.
Most of the sand has already been washed away and another spate of storm surges is predicted next week.
An interagency working group – with representative from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Bass Coast Shire Council, Parks Victoria, Regional Roads Victoria, Gippsland Ports, and the Bunurong Land Council – has been working on a range of short- and long-term solutions.
DELWP’s Carole Macmillan said geotextile sandbags had been used successfully around many parts of the Victorian coast including Portsea. She said design of the works had been completed and tenders would be called as soon as possible.
It’s hoped the works can be completed in time for the summer beach season.
Bass Coast Mayor Brett Tessari welcomed today’s announcement which he said would give a bit of breathing space.
He said it was understandable that residents and beach goers were growing impatient at the apparent lack of action on the rapidly disappearing beach, but a lot of work had been going on behind the scenes.
The State Government funding will also be used to set up a Regional and Strategic Partnership under the new Marine and Coastal Act 2018 over the wider Inverloch marine and coastal area to inform and tailor strategic, long-term future investment into these coastal areas.
Since then, some $250,000 has been spent on dumping truckloads of sand in front of the clubhouse, but it was always regarded as an emergency, short-term measure to save the clubhouse until the end of the storm surge season.
Most of the sand has already been washed away and another spate of storm surges is predicted next week.
An interagency working group – with representative from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Bass Coast Shire Council, Parks Victoria, Regional Roads Victoria, Gippsland Ports, and the Bunurong Land Council – has been working on a range of short- and long-term solutions.
DELWP’s Carole Macmillan said geotextile sandbags had been used successfully around many parts of the Victorian coast including Portsea. She said design of the works had been completed and tenders would be called as soon as possible.
It’s hoped the works can be completed in time for the summer beach season.
Bass Coast Mayor Brett Tessari welcomed today’s announcement which he said would give a bit of breathing space.
He said it was understandable that residents and beach goers were growing impatient at the apparent lack of action on the rapidly disappearing beach, but a lot of work had been going on behind the scenes.
The State Government funding will also be used to set up a Regional and Strategic Partnership under the new Marine and Coastal Act 2018 over the wider Inverloch marine and coastal area to inform and tailor strategic, long-term future investment into these coastal areas.
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Help from the state government is to be applauded and welcomed, but PLEASE find an environmentally appropriate way of doing it.
No more plastic!
A rock groin is urgently needed there as well.
When wave manages to hit vertical face, whether concrete, rocks or sand, what whacks up must come down again. When it does so, acceleration of water down and then horizontally, causes "toe scour", sucking sand from below vertical face such that rocks submerge, as at Cowes yacht club, and even concrete will be busted.
Interesting permanent solution at Glenelg SA, by Danish method, pipeline with big pump to return sand along beach, to restore slope so wave out of energy before it hits vertical concrete.
Jam Jerrup foreshore being eroded at 2m per year with 14m between the water and the road. The sea wall in Grantville fell over years ago, stairs at the back of Lionel Rose car park (Kilcunda) have been washed along the dune...............squeaky wheel?I agree with Ronnie so it must be an emergency of some description............ watch these spaces too? Please
I am sure we will have many members welcome this progressive announcement.
Amy Easton, Secretary, Wonthaggi Business & Tourism Association
Sand bags will finish up in the ocean like the last lot did .As they disintegrated they washed out to sea to become a hazard to all sea creatures large and small. Beach clean up day is tomorrow ,?????
These are taken at the Lionel Rose Car Park where the "new" steps have been totally lost. I say "new" because they replaced the previous steps that were washed away about 10 years ago.
The first photo (6102) shows that the rail trail path is about to be undercut by the erosion. This will be very expensive to repair if it is allowed to continue.
I will send you a second email with some photos I took in early September showing the concrete footings at the base of the dune exposed. These were taken mid-way between the trestle bridge steps and the Lionel Rose car park steps which were already badly damaged. I have only been at Kilcunda since about 2005. Maybe you could ask your readers if anyone can recall how the base of dunes first came to be reinforced with concrete. It would be interesting to learn what it was like originally and how the work was done.