Dredging back on track as Inverloch dunes battle wettest year
Despite extreme rainfall and recent king tides the dune reconstruction project at the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club appears to be back on track after a mechanical breakdown on the Kirra dredge threatened to derail the winter deadline.
THE delayed sand replenishment and dune reconstruction project at Inverloch Surf Beach is officially moving again after a mechanical breakdown threatened to derail its final timelines.
Works are now likely to push through late July to early August under a scaled-back operational model as teams look to finalise the dune profiles. This recovery comes at a crucial moment for the resort town, with Inverloch currently tracking toward one of its wettest years on record.
This extreme rainfall, combined with recent winter king tides, has placed immense pressure on the town's highly vulnerable, eroding coastline. The dune reconstruction scheme, overseen by Hall Contracting and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), is designed to act as a buffer against these exact severe weather events.
Operations ground to a halt in early July when Hall Contracting’s Kirra dredge suffered a major pump seal failure. The breakdown required the vessel to be docked and serviced near the local jetty, forcing a complete stoppage of sand pumping during a critical phase of the coastal defence works.
Engineers worked around the clock to source replacement parts, but the pause sparked widespread anxiety among locals who have watched the coastline recede rapidly over recent winters.
While sand is flowing freely once more, the beach remains a highly active industrial zone. Heavy earthmoving machinery is operating across the shoreline to spread the newly delivered material.
Over the coming days, ground crews will focus on relocating and extending large pipelines along the beach to target the worst-hit areas of the foreshore. Both the contractors and DEECA have urged residents and visitors to strictly observe safety perimeters, stay outside flagged-off exclusion zones, and give the heavy machinery a wide berth.
Security personnel are monitoring the site boundaries to ensure public safety while the fast-tracked works proceed. Local Member of Parliament Jordan Crugnale welcomed the resumption of the project, noting that the community has been on edge.
She emphasised that protecting Inverloch’s environmental and economic assets remained a top priority, especially as climate volatility increases pressure on regional infrastructure.
Project officials expressed gratitude to the Inverloch community for their ongoing patience during the recent disruptions. With the Kirra fully operational and the end of the project in sight, the focus shifts to completing the artificial dunes before the next cycle of wild winter weather tests the town's fragile foreshore once again.
