Work on Byron Bay sand dunes to start on 21 November

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Work on rebuilding the eroded sand dunes at Main Beach and Clarkes Beach will start on Monday 21 November.

Beach goers will see machines working on the beach for around seven days, moving sand from the tidal zone further up to where the dunes have eroded.

The work will be done between the Byron Bay Surf Club and the Byron Beach Café with the aim being to mimic nature by taking some of the sand that has built up in recent months in the tidal zone and pushing it further up the beach.

"If left alone, the tides, waves and wind, will eventually push the sand up the beach to reform the dunes so we are just speeding up the process," Chloe Dowsett, Council's Coast and Biodiversity Coordinator, said.

"The process is commonly called beach scraping or sand harvesting, and it's a proven, low-risk, cost effective way to rebuild dunes that have been damaged by erosion.

"Most importantly it's scientifically regarded as having low environmental impact on the beach and marine environments.

"We have consulted widely with relevant land managers, public authorities, key groups and Traditional Owners about the project," she said.

When the sand is in place the dunes will be fenced and planted with appropriate native vegetation and access paths provided for people to get on and off the beach easily.

Coastal erosion is however continuing to have an impact nearby at Belongil/Cavvanbah Beach near the Wreck and in front of the First Sun Caravan Park.

Public access from the Main Beach carpark is closed and people should use the Kendall Street beach access.

"There are some steep dune faces and people should stay away from this area, keep off the dunes and only use formal beach access paths that are open," Ms Dowsett said.

"The sand will rebuild here, but as we have seen with Main Beach, this takes time and beach scraping may be an option for this area when the sand returns," she said.

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