Sands shifting at Redhead Beach

Published on 30 June 2023

More than 900 tonnes of sand have been moved at Redhead Beach and First Creek is set to be diverted further south to help improve access and amenities at one of the region’s most popular coastal destinations.

Lake Macquarie City Council kicked off improvements at the beach last week, removing invasive bitou bush and shifting sand away from the shower and bike racks adjacent to the surf club building.

Acting Manager Environmental Systems Daniel Hartin said the aim was to lower the height of the dune to stop it spilling over onto the access path and amenities.

“The build-up of sand was in-filling those areas around the shower, bike racks and bins, making them more difficult to access and use,” he said.

“It was also placing excessive strain on the retaining wall and potentially compromising its integrity, which made it necessary to take action.”

“Sand dunes are always on the move, but we’ve consulted with the NSW Government’s Soil Conservation Service and put measures in place to slow their move back towards the infrastructure, and to stabilise those dunes in the longer term.”

Those measures include placing hay bales in strips parallel to the surf, reducing the effects of windblown sand movement.

Further south at First Creek, work will begin next month to fix the path linking that part of the beach with the main car park.

Storms, high tides and scouring from the creek have washed away the lower part of the access path, and badly damaged a stormwater drain beside it.

Mr Hartin said heavy machinery would realign the creek slightly south to improve its flow and reduce its scouring effect on the dunes, drain and access path.

“Like the sand dunes, the creek will naturally take its own path, but this will give our crews a chance to restore and reinforce the path, repair the drain and rehabilitate the dunes,” he said.

Works are expected to be finished by the end of July.