Conservation group says $1M needed urgently to save Inverloch

WHEN the Cape-to-Cape Resilience Project team finally released summaries of some of the key reports from Stage 1, principally about the risks posed by beach erosion at Inverloch and how to fix it, they said the “full suite of Stage 1 Reports” would be released “soon”.

It’s an interesting word “soon”, a potentially very frustrating word.

The long-awaited summaries were released on October 12, and here we are, already well into November.

Many people at Inverloch, and with an interest in the significant and ongoing erosion at Inverloch, want the authorities to get on with their remedial measures, whether they be dune nourishment projects, stop-gap measures such as sand relocation or more substantial projects such as extending the rock wall, groynes and even breakwaters if necessary.

And then there’s the strategic planning measures that the Bass Coast Shire Council might want to put in place.

So, you'd think that getting the "full suite of reports" out, which are by all accounts finished, printed and approved by all and sundry, would be first base? 

Community groups such as the influential South Gippsland Conservation Society initially waited for the “full suite of reports” to come out, but have ultimately published their response to the problems at Inverloch as they see them, and the summaries produced by the RaSP and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

They’ve paid particular attention to the calls for dune renourishment action at Inverloch Surf Beach, noting that a combination of beach groynes and renourishment would provide the most effective, balanced response to the erosion.

And they’ve called for all parties in the election to commit to a $1 million in urgent funding for this work, to be made available immediately after the November 26 election.

But they’ve rejected the plan to extend the existing rock wall a further 1km, south west to Flat Rocks.

“Other short-listed engineering adaptation actions assessed in the summary all have serious negative consequences,” they say.

“An extended rock wall would result in the lowering of sand levels and eventual loss of the Surf Beach, while the nearshore breakwater option would completely change the character of the Surf Beach.”

Here’s what the key local conservation group had to say:

“South Gippsland Conservation Society supports dune renourishment action at Inverloch Surf Beach South Gippsland Conservation Society (SGCS) supports the Inverloch Surf Beach dune renourishment option outlined in the Coastal Hazard Assessment summaries that were recently-released by the Victorian Government’s Cape to Cape Resilience Project team.

“Based on the findings of the Coastal Hazard Assessment consultants and SGCSs own research, dune renourishment, combined with groynes, represents the best means of maintaining the environmental, cultural and community values of the Surf Beach and its dunes at Inverloch in the face of the increasing impacts of climate change.”

SGCS’s Inverloch Coastal Resilience Project leader, Philip Heath, said: “It is critical to the future of the Surf Beach, the ecological and cultural values of the vegetated dunes and the safety of adjoining residences, that the remaining dunes are protected. Based on information contained in the summaries and in discussions with the Cape to Cape team, increasing the resilience of the remaining dunes by renourishment, combined with constructing one or more groynes to hold the sand on the Surf Beach, provide the best means of sustaining the Surf Beach in its current, highly-valued form. The other short-listed engineering adaptation actions assessed in the summary all have serious negative consequences – an extended rock wall would result in the lowering of sand levels and eventual loss of the Surf Beach, while the nearshore breakwater option would completely change the character of the Surf Beach.”

SGCS is encouraged by the scale of the proposed renourishment action, involving importing around 100,000 m3 of sand to Flat Rocks and another 100,000 to 200,000m3 to the main Surf Beach.

“These volumes,” they say, “have been determined to achieve protection of the remaining dunes through to 2040, giving more time for long term adaptation planning pathways to be progressed”

“The success of the Parks Victoria dune renourishment, undertaken on either side of the Cape Paterson Road rock wall in June this year, has demonstrated how effective renourishment can be, with the Society’s latest beach monitoring showing that the Wreck Creek coastline has been stable over the winter.

“We understand,” said a spokesperson for SGCS, “that the Parks Victoria works involved around 2,500m3 of sand, so renourishment in excess of 100,000m3 would add significant resilience to the dune system over the 91% of the Surf Beach that has remained unprotected.

“SGCS looks forward to the release of the full Coastal Hazard Assessment report, so future discussions can be fully informed by the detailed investigations undertaken by the project consultants.

“The Society also urges the Cape to Cape team to complete their Stage 2 investigations as soon as possible to enable the finally-agreed action to be costed, funded and implemented without further significant delay.

Philip Heath added: “It's been fortunate that coastline erosion at Inverloch has slowed over the past 18 months, most likely associated with the changed meteorological conditions brought about by the recent La Nina events. This has resulted in more northerlies and easterlies at Inverloch, with a consequent reduction in the number of erosion-inducing south-westerly storm surges. With La Nina conditions predicted to abate by the end of this year, 2023 could see a return to the meteorological conditions that resulted in Inverloch Surf Beach losing between 40-70 metres of vegetated dunes between 2012 and 2020. With the remaining dune width reduced to only a few metres at Wreck Creek and Flat Rocks, we continue to be only one or two storm surges away from losing Wreck Creek and its estuarine habitat and the remaining mature coast banksias at Flat Rocks.”

“With this in mind,” said the conservation group in its response, “and given that the latest advice is that Stage 2 of the Cape to Cape Resilience project won’t be completed until mid-2023, it is vital that interim action is taken to protect the remaining dunes before the onset of the next autumn/winter storm surge season.”

“SGCS calls on the Bass sitting member, Jordan Crugnale, and the other Bass parliamentary candidates, to commit funding for interim dune renourishment works to be completed at Inverloch Surf Beach in early 2023.

“Based on our investigations, interim funding of at least $1M is needed to extend the recent Parks Victoria renourishment work to protect the Wreck Creek and Flat Rocks coastline.

“This interim action would help to ‘hold the line’ at these critical locations, while the Cape to Cape team continues its Stage 2 work in developing the long term adaptation plan.

SGCS President Ed Thexton said: “As acknowledged in the summaries, the vegetated dunes currently shield adjoining residences from storm surge events. It doesn’t make any sense not to act now to protect those valuable remaining dunes. If we wait any longer, there may not be anything left to save by the time that the final strategy is in place. Now is the time for our Bass parliamentary candidates to demonstrate that they have heard the pleas of the hundreds of locals and visitors that formed a line in the sand at the Society’s ‘Rally Round Our Dunes!’ event in January and the almost 500 people that signed our petition calling for coastal protection of Inverloch Surf Beach.”

He said the Society’s call for interim dune renourishment is supported by Professor Rodger Tomlinson, Foundation Director of the Griffith Centre for Coastal Management

“The dune erosion that is occurring at Inverloch Surf Beach calls for low key, coastal protection to be done in parallel with the development of a longer-term solution to the problem,” said Professor Tomlinson.

“Our natural defence, the dunes, need a helping hand. Active dune management involving dune renourishment, managing beach access, maintaining native vegetation and fencing off sections of the dunes will all help to maintain the buffer provided by the dunes. The whole dune system needs to be managed, both on the ocean-side and the land-side.”

For more information, go to www.sgcs.org.au