Temporary beach closures due to coastal management works
The offshore fringing reef at C.Y. O’Connor Beach will be closed from 11 November to 29 November during installation of Stage 2. Some sections of the beach may be closed during installation.
Help shape our coastline for the future
The review of our Coastal Hazard Risk Management Adaption Plan (CHRMAP) commences as we stirve to protect our coast environment. Community engagement closes 6 October 2024.
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The City’s beaches and coastline are invaluable natural and community assets. Our beaches are however vulnerable to natural processes such as erosion and inundation, the impacts of which are predicted to increase in severity with climate change and sea level rise.
C.Y. O’Connor Beach is at present an erosion hot-spot, requiring ongoing active management in the form of annual sand replenishment to maintain a useable beach and prevent the loss of land and coastal assets.
The City’s other beaches, such as Coogee Beach, are expected to experience significant erosion problems as sea levels rise as predicted over this century.
A Coastal Adaptation Plan (CAP), developed in collaboration with Cockburn Sound Coastal Alliance (CSCA), guides the management of coastal risks and adaptation to coastal changes in a sustainable and flexible manner including:
- A Coastal Monitoring Program to track shoreline movements and identifies changes in the condition of beaches and coastal assets
- Periodic sand replenishment of eroding areas such as C.Y. O’Connor Beach
- Planning and design for responses to coastal hazards at specific sites, such as the design of long-term erosion protection measures for C.Y. O’Connor Beach
- Ensuring planning schemes and controls are appropriate to the latest hazard information
- Engagement with the community and stakeholders to raise awareness of coastal hazards and adaptation planning.
Current Projects
Ongoing coastal monitoring
The City is monitoring changes to the coastline through annual beach surveys and a time-lapse camera installed at Catherine Point Groyne that records imagery of the coastline throughout the year.
Engineered Fringing Reef Trial
An artificial reef located offshore at C.Y. O’Connor Beach is part of an ongoing coastal management trial project. Locally made precast concrete reef modules, a sample of which can be seen at C.Y. O’Connor Reserve, have been installed offshore to break down wave energy reaching the shore and slow erosion rates. The artificial reef is the first of its kind in Australia.
Stage 1, installed in 2022, forms a 100m long row made up of 135 modules. Stage 2 consists of a second 100m row placed in parallel with the current reef and will be installed in October 2024. This will complete the full design.
The City and the University of Western Australia (UWA) are monitoring the reef to understand how it performs and affects the surrounding coastline. The reef could be reconfigured, reduced or expanded over time.
While erosion is a complex issue with multiple causes, preliminary analysis of findings by the University of Western Australia indicate the reef is helping to reduce wave heights and energy.
It has become a thriving ecosystem and popular snorkelling and diving spot. The reef’s concrete modules are perfect for marine flora and seaweed growth which is providing habitat for an abundant range of sealife.
A habitat mapping report, commissioned by the City of Cockburn, to monitor marine life found in and around the artificial reef, observed 57 species of fish now inhabiting the reef compared to 29 species before the reef was installed, and 56 species of non-fish such as molluscs, starfish, sea urchins, sea anenomes and jelly fish.
Stage 1 was part-funded by the WA Department of Transport Coastal Adaptation and Protection grant scheme. Stage 2 is part-funded by the
Australian Government’s National Emergency Management Agency Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program.
The reef has been designed and built by MMA Offshore (previously Subcon) with coastal engineering support from M P Rogers & Associates and the University of Western Australia (UWA).
Geotextile Sand Container (GSC) Seawall
The City is planning to install a geotextile sand container (GSC) wall immediately south of Catherine Point Groyne. This area has been identified as a coastal erosion hotspot, experiencing high levels of erosion during winter storms. The City is responsible for managing this hotspot and will install a GSC wall at the beach access point, increasing the beach’s resilience to erosion and maintaining safe beach access year-round. This project is funded by the City of Cockburn.
The City has previously installed two GSC walls north of Catherine Point Groyne which have strengthened the dune systems. The artificial reef, GSC walls, wind fencing and dune revegetation all work together as a management system against coastal erosion.
Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP)
The City is currently updating its Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP). This is a planning document that will influence all management and development along the City’s coastline. This document includes technical data and modelling to identify risk areas but also includes thorough community consultation to ensure the community has a say about the future of our coastline.