Truckloads of rock will arrive at Long Beach this month as work to protect Bay Road from coastal erosion gets underway.
To protect the shoreline and shield vital infrastructure, Eurobodalla Council will build a 250-metre rock revetment along the eastern end of the beach. Council's director of infrastructure Graham Attenborough says the structure will hug the natural curve of the beach, with durable igneous rock sloping up from the sand to the road.
"We'll blend along the top with coastal vegetation, with rocks still visible depending on natural sand movement. We'll be doing all we can to protect those magnificent and much-loved Norfolk pines too," Mr Attenborough says.
The project is the first on-the-ground rollout from Council's Open Coast Coastal Management Program, which guides work on public land and identifies community infrastructure that needs protecting. Mr Attenborough says it's a big, noisy project with big, noisy trucks and excavators in the area for the next few months.
"We're repositioning sandbags, moving large rocks onto the foreshore and, eventually, returning sand to the beach. Access will be restricted at times, shifting as work progresses. We'll store material on the reserve as you head toward Long Beach Road," he says.
While sandbags have been used as an interim measure, Mr Attenborough acknowledges local frustration at the pace of progress.
"It's tough seeing your shoreline disappear. We feel that too and we're glad to be finally moving forward. There are a lot of hoops to jump through before all levels of government sign off the work."
The project is part of Eurobodalla Council's Batemans Bay coastal protection program, with funding provided by the NSW and Commonwealth Governments. The work is expected to finish in early 2026, with the beach accessible over the Christmas break when work shuts down and the area made safe.
