Byron Shire Council Starts Sand Scraping to Save Main Beach

Bruce Mackenzie
Swellnet Dispatch

During the last three years, the sand situation at Byron Bay has been a feast or famine. As an abundance of sand backs up at The Pass, Clarkes and Main Beach erode back to the buildings - see here, here, and here. With sand slowly accreting at Main Beach, and a repreive from the easterly onslaught, Byron Shire Council are trying to speed the process up.

Tonnes of sand have eroded from an area between Clarkes Beach and the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club in recent years. Byron Shire Council is hoping a sand-scraping operation will help to restore sand at Main Beach. 

The council's coast and biodiversity co-ordinator Chloe Dowsett estimated more than thirty metres of the dunal system has disappeared. 

"It's really clear when you look at aerial photography back over the years how much dune has been lost," she said. "Significantly, near the surf club, there's really only one strand of the last kind of defence of the dune."

Excavators and bulldozers began work on the beach yesterday as part of a five-day, $170,000 operation, which Ms Dowsett described as "helping Mother Nature".

Sand harvested from the intertidal zone will be used to restore dunes on Byron Bay's popular beach (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie )

"The sand from the swash zone will be moved onto the beach and then the beach berm (ridge) will be built, which is that fluffy sand that people find quite difficult to walk on," she said.

"Then that sand is slowly moved on to the back of the beach to build those dunes. Once that sand is moved up there, we focus on the ground cover and the spinifex, that really acts as a sand-trapping mechanism."

Locals welcome 'overdue' work

Life member of the Byron Bay Surf Lifesaving Club, Greg Clark, described the move as "long overdue".

"It's marvellous to see and I'm really excited to see council getting on with this project," he said. "Our beach is still our best asset, everyone comes to Byron Bay to go to the beach.

"For two years there we were unable to even set up a patrol on the beach, we were patrolling from a grassed area rather than down on the sand. At least with a little bit of this restoration work, if we do get some big seas, it should put us in better stead anyway."

Erosion has eaten away about 30m worth of sand dunes at Byron Bay (ABC North Coast: Bruce MacKenzie)

Turtle nesting concerns

A former general manager of the wildlife group Australian Seabird Rescue, Rochelle Ferris, raised concerns about the potential for nesting sea turtles in the area.

"This time of year is sea turtle nesting season, they're a threatened species and this is a marine park we're talking about," she said. "We've got confirmed evidence of sea turtle nesting tracks right along that beach.

"They're trying to use that space for nesting and the more interruption and interference there is, human-induced worst of all, is only going to reduce their chances of successful reproduction."

But Ms Dowsett said the council had obtained a marine park permit for the work and considered sea turtles as part of a review of environmental factors.

"We'd like to get the works done before mid-December," she said. "Once the turtles are actually moving down the coast and hit the Tweed Shire we get a bit of a heads up as to when they might be in this location.

"If we do see any tracks in the morning we will be doing a beach walk prior to any of the beach work, and that goes for turtles and any of the shore birds."

In the end, the success of the project may depend on factors beyond the council's control.

"There is always a kind of risk that the work we do may get swept away, but that's just coastal management in general really," Ms Dowsett said.

// BRUCE MACKENZIE
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

Comments

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 12:31pm

I'll just drop this summary of the 1978 Byron Bay-Hastings point erosion study here for anyone who would like to see how much was understood and how nothing has changed.

http://nsw-coastal-explorer.domorewithmaps.com/documents/SUMMARY%20OF%20...

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 12:53pm
Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 1:22pm

That's a great link, they were all over it back then eh!

555ZZZ's picture
555ZZZ's picture
555ZZZ Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 12:47pm

Isn't it amazing the way that man made sand dunes and planted trees all eventually get eroded and fall into the intertidal zone.. ?
''the more interruption and interference there is, human-induced worst of all ''
So let's do some more interference , that'll fix it.

Le Col's picture
Le Col's picture
Le Col Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 2:27pm

I'm confused - So the Byron Council and community are supporting sand mining now?

mpeachy's picture
mpeachy's picture
mpeachy Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 2:38pm

Sand banks and dunes go through cycles.

Just let it do its thing.

simsurf's picture
simsurf's picture
simsurf Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 5:06pm

Environment goes out the window when your property values are at risk

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 5:40pm

Interesting, seeing as all the beaches in Byron Shire are no longer under council control and have been handed back to the custodianship of the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council, that the council rep made no mention of consultation with the TO's. I'd be interested to hear the TBLALC perspective on this and whether there's any history of first Australians working around the ever-changing beachscape.

shraz's picture
shraz's picture
shraz Thursday, 24 Nov 2022 at 9:35am

'all the beaches in Byron Shire are no longer under council control', wow, that's huge!
where did you find out that little gem? got any more info about it, like some kind of legislation you can point to?

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Thursday, 24 Nov 2022 at 9:49am

Hey Shraz, yes, it's amazing news! I struggle to find anything published but I know this as I work in a field where we are required to get approval from the TO's to access the beach to work. The same now applies to Fingal Headland north to Letitia Spit. Here's quote from the Byron Shire Council website, I'm sure with some digging you could find more. Always was, always will be. Cheers

"In 2019, the Federal Court of Australia recognised the native title rights and interests of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay in and around the Byron Bay area. Arakwal Corporation holds these rights and interests on trust for the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay, and represents the traditional owners of the Byron Bay area, the Arakwal People."

shraz's picture
shraz's picture
shraz Thursday, 24 Nov 2022 at 10:02am

But Fingal is in Tweed Shire, perhaps that's where it happened? Totally support indigenous involvement in coastal management though!

Edit: Fingal Headland. Beautiful place and will hopefully never change (any more at least). Doesn't specifically mention the beach though, nor Byron Shire, not that I could find anyway.
https://www.tblalc.com/activities/fingal-head-reserve-to-be-handed-to-ab...

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Thursday, 24 Nov 2022 at 9:58am

It's both shires mate.

t-diddy's picture
t-diddy's picture
t-diddy Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 5:59pm

maybe plant some non-natives to get that sand above the high tide mark?!

Dmiller's picture
Dmiller's picture
Dmiller Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 6:22pm

Sand pump. Fill it in from Wategos to Main Beach.. Snapper 2.0

bluediamond's picture
bluediamond's picture
bluediamond Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 6:59pm

One big swell, tide and surge should do enough to eat that sand again. Putting those rockwalls along mainbeach carpark and belongil has sped up the movement of longshore drift by carving out gutters below them when the swells up, hence speeding up the movement of sand along the whole length of beach. . Also seems the the stabilisation work done up on the walkway and overpass above Clarkes about 15 years ago was a part of the change of the beach dynamics there where that house sits on the beach at clarkes
You reap what you sow and in Byrons case, putting those rock walls in to protect a few precious houses along different parts of that 5km stretch of beach has resulted in the whole beach dynamics from the Pass to the last rock wall at Belongil producing something completely foreign to what was the origninal sand flow. HA!! Spinifex aint gonna stop sand dissappearing when the swell bulks up and has nowhere else to go when it's forced to carve new tracks into the beach where the rockwalls start. Would it be so bad if Byron washed away anyway?

Yippee's picture
Yippee's picture
Yippee Saturday, 26 Nov 2022 at 11:50pm

Yes it would be bad.
Jeez mate, why the hate?
Yes it would be very bad for those who live here,
who call it home,
and those who just like the place.
I’m getting the impression you might not be of the same mindset,
but imagine if it was said about your home, your heartfelt happy place.
(Sometimes it seems that the Bay will never be forgiven, by some,
for changing from a remembered idyllic fantasy of their youth.
As if change has not happened everywhere.)

bluediamond's picture
bluediamond's picture
bluediamond Sunday, 27 Nov 2022 at 12:56am

What woukd be bad about it? Who would lose out the most? Whos left in that town that can still afford to be there? The quiksilver shop?? Bewitched? The byron baes? Anyway, it was a larf. If byron goes on that scale obviously the whole coast goes, and nobody wants to see that so maybe lighten up.
And yep its a beautiful place geographically. No arguments there. Its always been a happy place for me. Which is why it sucks to see it raped in broad daylight by yippees....i mean yuppies.

Yippee's picture
Yippee's picture
Yippee Sunday, 27 Nov 2022 at 12:23pm

Larfed & lightened. no worries, mate,
it just does sting a bit to have your beautiful home town constantly criticised, thats all.
Criticised for not remaining unchanged.
And seriously, where is unchanged? Have a look at Bruns, Caba, Lennox, dam even Ballina & Mullum, all been "gentrified" (or raped if you prefer?)
"Progress" is often anything but.
Out of interest, BD, have you found a new happy place?
Increasingly hard to find that magic combination of a few quality waves, natural beauty, a bit of work & non surf stuff to do.
South Coast, Tassy, NZ ?

bluediamond's picture
bluediamond's picture
bluediamond Sunday, 27 Nov 2022 at 2:57pm

Yes mate, i do hear ya. I lived in Byron and Lennox, Suffolk and Hastos over the space of 20 years. I also lived in Fiji and upon returning to Byron realised it was no longer for me. I'd say Fiji is my happy place, especially on a boat in the Pacific. Or any of the more remote outposts along the vast stretch of Southern ocean coast. You sacrifice alot to have the lifestyle down here, but it's worth it for me.
I think we're on the same page. I hate what's happened to Byron, and don't despise the place, just what it's becoming. It is happening everywhere but there's plenty of pockets around oz where there's plenty of good energy and the holiday crowds are a bit more manageable.
I have been thinking about your comment and i thought, there's probably worse places than Byron. It's just seeing friends getting moved out of town because of what's moved in, and also knowing that people like myself were major contributors to the tourism industry in that town, yet couldn't afford to live or eat or do fuckall in that town. But yep, progress. That's why i'm not there though. Before i did end up hating it. Cheers for the thought provoking convo and apologies if i did offend you. You sound like one of the good folk that make Byron the special place it was and maybe still can be. I'll try to keep that in mind in future posts about Byron.

Yippee's picture
Yippee's picture
Yippee Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022 at 2:36pm

Cheers for the thought reply, BD.
I know how jarring reinsertion into
(even the relatively mellow bits of) Australian life can be
after being remote. It is shocking.
Stay well & glad you have found new happy places.
Maybe that shove, that so many of the people on this site post about,
and the discoveries that follow are a gift.
Renewal.

lost's picture
lost's picture
lost Tuesday, 22 Nov 2022 at 10:09pm

Stumbled across this tonight walking on the beach - they have move a shit load of sand. Looked like huger mountain bike berms. Inoressive what those diggers can do.

The stretch from surf club to clarkes is mostly public space with commercial and housing on the other side of the road. Sure the Byron economy needs this but it’s not a protect private property play.

mpeachy's picture
mpeachy's picture
mpeachy Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022 at 8:31am

Based on the comment above yours, it sounds like the private property play caused this in the first place

wax-on-danielson's picture
wax-on-danielson's picture
wax-on-danielson Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022 at 9:38am

If people were smart about planning towns would be inland on hills and the coastlines would be national parks.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Wednesday, 23 Nov 2022 at 2:37pm

Almost guarantees a 10-12ft Black Nor' Easter swell doesn't it...

Davos68's picture
Davos68's picture
Davos68 Saturday, 26 Nov 2022 at 7:14am

Man , how much fun would that be playing on the beach with real end loaders and trucks etc. Maybe slip the boys a few bucks to push up a few little favourable sand banks on the low tide ....come on who hasnt dreammed of being able to do that at a place thats predominately straight handers.

Shaun Hanson's picture
Shaun Hanson's picture
Shaun Hanson Saturday, 26 Nov 2022 at 12:23pm

Seems shifting sands and erosion is only a problem where there are privately owned property and poeple the richer the area the louder the scream if its anywhere else its normal and fuk me over rover who woulda thought all that development may cause an enviromental diemma in the strong hold of poeple against
enviromental dilemmas ...

Gazmann's picture
Gazmann's picture
Gazmann Sunday, 27 Nov 2022 at 10:10am

So sad. LOL

Oink's picture
Oink's picture
Oink Monday, 28 Nov 2022 at 7:05am

Maybe they need a Collaroy wall

carmo-dee's picture
carmo-dee's picture
carmo-dee Monday, 28 Nov 2022 at 4:41pm

Excavators and bulldozers began work on the beach yesterday as part of a five-day, $170,000 operation, which Ms Dowsett described as "helping Mother Nature".

Helping Mother Nature. That's the funniest fucking thing I've read in a while