Kirra dredge exits Inverloch for Middle Park as dune monitoring begins
Hall Contracting has relocated its Kirra dredge and workboats from Inverloch to Port Phillip Bay with work to commence on a similar sand renourishment project at Middle Park by the end of the week.
WITH the massive sand dredging phase of the Inverloch beach and dune restoration project officially concluded the Kirra dredge and its accompanying workboats have arrived in Melbourne to commence a similar project at Middle Park.
The departure of the heavy machinery brought mixed emotions online, prompting one local social media user to comment, “At least they’re not doing it here again.”
Contractor Hall Contracting successfully completed the primary dredging operations in September after pumping thousands of cubic metres of sand from Anderson Inlet onto the eroded Inverloch surf beach.
According to the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) dune monitoring is now being undertaken on a rolling schedule rather than a fixed seasonal basis because the newly reconstructed dunes and renourished beach remain highly dynamic and need ongoing assessments to track long-term sand movement and shoreline stability.
As part of the Victorian Coastal Monitoring Program (VCMP), a structured citizen science initiative will fly high-precision mapping drones approximately every six weeks over the foreshore. These flights will be used to capture 3D elevations and spatial data to measure sand volume changes, track how the newly pumped sand is redistributed, and evaluate dune stability across eight to nine flights annually.
Operating in tandem with the drone program the South Gippsland Conservation Society (SGCS) has undertaken to maintain a ground monitoring campaign to provide critical baseline data from the beach floor.
Ground teams will take physical measurements of the dune face and beach footprint from Point Norman to Flat Rocks synchronised locally with targeted low-tide windows to get the most accurate baseline of beach width and dune recession.
“If the beach experiences significant storm surges, high-energy wave conditions, or king tides, additional drone runs and structural laser-level site checks will be scheduled immediately afterwards to measure resilience and sand loss,” DEECA said.
According to the City of Port Phillip the Middle Park beach renourishment project has already experienced some scheduling delays due to the extended period of time the Kirra dredge was needed at Inverloch.
The Kirra finally arrived at the offshore dredging site at Middle Park on October 18. The Middle Park Beach is an artificial beach and requires ongoing sand replacement.
“Climate change has accelerated the erosion process requiring regular renourishment campaigns,” stated the City of Port Phillip.
Dredging was expected to start last Friday October 23 and according to the City of Port Phillip should be completed by the end of November subject to weather conditions.
The black pipes that became so familiar to beachgoers in Inverloch will be used at Middle Park to allow about 35,000 cubic metres of coarse sand to be pumped onshore and spread along the popular suburban beach over the next few weeks.
