21/10/2026
SEAWALLS CAN PROTECT PROPERTY FOR A WHILE— BUT AT WHAT COST TO OUR BEACHES?
The Surfrider Foundation has just released its 2026 State of the Beach Report, highlighting how seawalls and other hard coastal protection structures contributes to erosion, beach loss and impacts on neighbouring properties.
The report also raises serious concerns about temporary or emergency coastal protection works becoming permanent structures, often without adequate consideration of their long-term environmental impacts.
Although the report focuses on the US, the issues are very relevant here in Australia, particularly on the Central Coast, where seawalls and revetments are being proposed or approved at Wamberal, The Entrance North, Pearl Beach, MacMasters and others.
Are we protecting private property at the expense of our public beaches, and are we giving enough consideration to the long-term consequences and alternatives, including sand nourishment?
These are important questions, particularly when hard protection structures can remain for generations while the beaches in front of them continue to change, erode and disappear.
Surfrider Australia has been campaigning against vertical seawalls for many years, advocating for alternatives including beach nourishment, dune restoration and offshore reefs.
A big thank you to Surfrider Australia, and particularly our friends at the Northern Beaches Branch, for their ongoing commitment to protecting our beaches and supporting coastal communities in their efforts to find better, more sustainable solutions. Your work and advocacy are greatly appreciated! đź’™
Our beaches belong to everyone, and decisions about their future need to consider the entire coastline, not just the properties immediately behind it.
This report is well worth reading. While the laws differ between the US and Australia, the coastal management challenges and lessons are very relevant to what we're facing here.
Read the 2026 report here:
Explore the 2026 State of the Beach Report, highlighting how emergency shoreline armoring threatens coastal resilience and the future of our beaches.
