Big seas = erosion at some Byron Bay beaches

Published on 04 January 2022

Ex-tropical cyclone Seth is still making its mark on the Byron Shire coastline with big seas, strong winds coinciding with king tides.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued several severe weather warnings for wind and damaging surf although conditions are easing.

There has been some beach erosion at Byron Bay, particularly from Clarks Beach to west of Main Beach at Cavvanbah towards Belongil.

The extent of the damage will be assessed when the weather subsides.

Chloe Dowsett, Council’s Coast, Biodiversity and Sustainability Coordinator, said the erosion is a normal part of this type of weather system.

“Over the past year we have been seeing a large volume of sand slowly returning to the embayment, providing some protection against this event however Main Beach and Clarks Beach were still quite depleted of sand and some of this has been lost,” Ms Dowsett said.

“There is no doubt that the large slug of sand at The Pass provided some resilience for the eastern beaches in the embayment, and surfers have loved the long sets of swell lines across the bay.

“What is causing the erosion are the high tides and increased water levels which are pushing waves onto the upper part of the beach and taking away sand.

“The worst of the weather system has passed, however, there will likely be further erosion after the event as the beach levels are so low and the tides remain high.

“Even though this erosion event is expected at this time of year, it will be a setback to the beach recovery process,” Ms Dowsett said.

The natural rebuilding of the dunes can take years however, Council is looking to speed up the process through dune restoration. and has applied for a grant from the State Government with a response expected early in the new year.

“This is a natural event; however we do know that more sand is leaving the Bay than returning each year and how to manage coastal erosion now and into the future is a priority for Council with the development of a Coastal Management Program in progress,” Ms Dowsett said.

People are being asked to keep away from the face of the sand dunes and to only use beach access paths that are open to prevent further erosion.

For media enquiries contact Annie Lewis, Media and Communications Coordinator, on 02 6626 7321.