The race is on to have Point Lonsdale's front beach renourished in time for the Christmas tourist rush
An eleventh hour push is underway to have tonnes of sand re-distributed on Point Lonsdale’s front beach to ensure its safety in time for Summer.
Save Point Lonsdale Front Beach campaign organiser James Cotton has held talks with Borough CEO Lenny Jenner in recent days, seeking Council support for the renourishment exercise.
Residents have offered to help pay and one local contractor has put up his hand to carry out the works, Mr Cotton said.
“Right now the real priority is to get some sand back in place for summer. We don’t want kids diving into rocks and stubbing toes and people falling over.
“I told Mr Jenner if he can’t find the funding for it, we’ve got a local contractor who’s happy to do it at a good price and there’s enough around who have offered to chip in and pay for it so it’s not really a funding issue now for the Council, but he wants to be sure that it’s the right solution for a short term fix.
The state government has responded to the growing community concerns at the erosion by announcing an extensive review of sand movement.
The independent study, by coastal modelling consultants BMT WBM, will analyse 20 years of data to better understand what is causing the erosion and what can be done to safeguard the popular stretch of beach into the future.
“It’s fantastic news. It’s great to see that if the Council aren’t listening the state government is and DWELP has been fantastic through this process at the moment,” said Mr Cotton.
“The issue is that all the sand is piling up on the wrong side of the groyne and all of the waves are piling up on the wrong side of the groyne… you have this huge difference in sand levels from one side to the other.
“We’re hoping the consultants will say that an original report, that recommended four groynes instead of just three and making them 100 metres long instead of 60, will be endorsed,” he said.
The study will incorporate contemporary knowledge, highlight information gaps and recommend long-term management strategies, according to Greg Leece, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Parks (DELWP) Barwon South West region Land Planning and Approvals Regional Manager.
“The depletion and reappearance of sand was first observed and recorded in the late 19th century and has since been a frequent phenomenon, despite continual investment to retain sand at the site.
Save Point Lonsdale Front Beach campaign organiser James Cotton has held talks with Borough CEO Lenny Jenner in recent days, seeking Council support for the renourishment exercise.
Residents have offered to help pay and one local contractor has put up his hand to carry out the works, Mr Cotton said.
“Right now the real priority is to get some sand back in place for summer. We don’t want kids diving into rocks and stubbing toes and people falling over.
“I told Mr Jenner if he can’t find the funding for it, we’ve got a local contractor who’s happy to do it at a good price and there’s enough around who have offered to chip in and pay for it so it’s not really a funding issue now for the Council, but he wants to be sure that it’s the right solution for a short term fix.
The state government has responded to the growing community concerns at the erosion by announcing an extensive review of sand movement.
The independent study, by coastal modelling consultants BMT WBM, will analyse 20 years of data to better understand what is causing the erosion and what can be done to safeguard the popular stretch of beach into the future.
“It’s fantastic news. It’s great to see that if the Council aren’t listening the state government is and DWELP has been fantastic through this process at the moment,” said Mr Cotton.
“The issue is that all the sand is piling up on the wrong side of the groyne and all of the waves are piling up on the wrong side of the groyne… you have this huge difference in sand levels from one side to the other.
“We’re hoping the consultants will say that an original report, that recommended four groynes instead of just three and making them 100 metres long instead of 60, will be endorsed,” he said.
The study will incorporate contemporary knowledge, highlight information gaps and recommend long-term management strategies, according to Greg Leece, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Parks (DELWP) Barwon South West region Land Planning and Approvals Regional Manager.
“The depletion and reappearance of sand was first observed and recorded in the late 19th century and has since been a frequent phenomenon, despite continual investment to retain sand at the site.
