Our community knows how unforgiving our coastal environment can be. The recent storm events and associated tidal surges have had quite the impact this year, and in particular have caused extensive damage to beach access infrastructure.
Due to this damage, the Point Lonsdale Back Beach ramp is currently unsafe and in need of repairs. Ramp repair works commenced Monday 25 November, with works forecast to be completed around mid-December. This work was prioritised in order to facilitate the active summer beach patrols.
The storms in September and October 2024 also caused damage to, or affected, the following assets:
• Dog Beach, sand retention fence and ramp
• Access stairs, located south of the Dog Beach
• Springs Beach access
• Front beach near the commercial area of Point Lonsdale
• Rip View Stairs
• Point Lonsdale Surf Lifesaving Beach Base access ramp
The repair of these structures requires coordinating with several organisations, departments and agencys who either use, are responsible for or approve works in coastal areas. Council has been working with various stakeholders, including the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA) to get the required approvals and works underway.
Approvals have been received and repair works have commenced at the Point Lonsdale Surf Lifesaving Beach Base access ramp. This work was prioritised in order to facilitate the active summer beach patrols.
The availability of resources and funding means that the work required to remediate the other assets will be sequenced and Council will only be able to focus on a couple of projects at a time.
Council has started planning and is in discussions with DEECA about the works required for:
• Springs Beach access.
• Dog Beach, sand retention fence and access ramp
Coastal environments are not only harsh, but they are also complex and dynamic. The work on the Dog Beach infrastructure and Springs Beach access will need to be planned carefully with the input of expertise to ensure existing issues are not exacerbated or simply invest in repairs that will be lost again during the next storm event. For instance, any work undertaken in the short term at Springs beach will be a temporary solution. Longer term solutions will take time and as alluded to above, the diversion of funds from other Council projects.
We understand how important this infrastructure is to members of our community and will work to keep the projects progressing and provide further updates as we do so.
