Sands of time: some beaches will be lost at sea
Storms wrought havoc on NSW northern coastlines, eroding beaches and the dreams on holidays and homemakers in several regions. Experts run the ruler over climate models to predict the future path of nature’s fury.
IT is the dream of many to have an ocean-front property – just a barefoot stroll to the water’s edge. But of all the elements, the ocean can be a formidable force.
Sydney’s northern beachside suburb of Collaroy took the brunt of the ocean’s fury in 2016.
The coastal strip was pummelled during a massive storm in 2016. Homes were damaged and a swimming pool was pulled into the ocean, costing homeowners and local government almost $25 million to fix.
It was Mother Nature at her cruellest.
Coastal erosion affects fewer property in Local Government Areas. Beachside properties are a rare privilege but land lots are at a high risk of erosion now and into the future.
The Groundsure ClimateIndex for NSW commissioned by The Australian Conveyancer Magazine, has deemed 987 properties in Sydney’s metropolitan area at high of coast erosion as of today.
But in 30 years the number of properties at high risk of erosion will jump to 1,387 keep it at the top of the trouble spot rankings for this hazard.
The northern beaches’ northern neighbour, the Central Coast will more than double the number of land lots at high risk of erosion problems. The 157 land lots at high risk today will become 387 properties at high risk for a new generation three decades from now.
The storms that wrought havoc in Sydney Collaroy, small the pristine sands of Wamberal at the same time, causing millions in damage to ocean-facing yards.
The local council, the State government and residents are sharing the cost of protective sea walls, but that resolution appears to be some time away from completion.
Key data sources for coast erosion
· Smartline Coastal Data Segmentation, Geoscience Australia
Used to classify the coastal geomorphology.
This dataset has been used for the National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment (NCVA) and for understanding the vulnerability of Australia’s coastlines to sea-level rise and climate change-induced hazards.
· DEA Coastlines 2.0
Measures annual shorelines and rates of coastal change along the entire Australian coastline from 1988 to present.
