WELL, for those that asked for a drop of rain last weeks deluge was certainly what so many had requested and Mother Nature even managed a bit more from the Heavens just to make sure.

On a worrying trend though, the forecast of heavy winds wasn’t exactly on anyones wish list and thankfully it would appear that the Myall Coast came away reasonably unscathed compared to some of our Northern and Southern counterparts.

According to Willy Weather, on 5 June the Tea Gardens area received a whopping 134.8mm of rain, adding to the total monthly rainfall of the month that now stands at nearly 235mm. Yep, rain, you got it.

For so many the forecast of damaging winds wasn’t as appealing as having their water tanks topped up, we had a heap fall down over the weekend so indoor activities were a must.

Of concern though was the large swells and tides that coincided with the deluge, and unfortunately the combination has left its mark on our shoreline once again.

Winda Woppa has yet again been affected with a few feet of sand being lost due to the king tides and swells. News Of The Area visited the area only a couple of weeks ago and the difference is quite apparent, it truly makes me wonder whether the cost of sand bank rejuvenation is really worth the cost and effort each time we have a coastal low that seems to steal so much of the coastline each time?

Winda Woppa of course wasn’t the only target of Mother Nature, with Bennets Beach at Hawks Nest now closed due to an incredible amount of sand loss.

Dunes now drop off over 20ft in some places, shear drops that are both dangerous to people and the dunes. Mid Coast Council have been proactive in fencing off the areas until evaluations have been completed and remediation works are implemented.

At the Hawks Nest Surf club off Booner Street the access to all beach pathways are closed.

The formed timber walkway used by the Surf Lifesavers is seriously damaged along with public access walkways.

At the Yacaabah end the drop from the dunes to beach level is staggering compared to only a few weeks ago, and is of course also closed.

News Of The Area reminds its readers that it is of paramount importance that people do not access any of these areas until repairs are carried out and deemed safe by Council.

 

By Dave BRAZIER