Wild seas leave their mark

WILD weather has caused significant damage to coastal access points along the Geelong region’s coastline, prompting repair works and temporary closures through the week.

A severe weather warning was issued for much of the region last Friday, with damaging winds of between 90kmh and 100kmh recorded along the coastline.

Several days of high tides followed, causing further damage along the coast.

In Ocean Grove, Barwon Coast made the decision to close the beach access point at Bukareeyoo Surf Bridge on Monday, after a section of the escarpment collapsed.

“Please do not attempt to access the beach in this area,” the land manager stated on social media after the closure.

“We’ll provide updates as soon as it’s safe to reopen.”

At Torquay Back Beach, up to a metre of sand along part of the seawall was washed away, leaving drop-offs of more than 2m.

One timber staircase was completely destroyed and another partially damaged, while the force of the swell shifts a four-tonne rock bag several metres.

Temporary fencing has been installed while the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority’s (GORCAPA) coastal operations team assess the damage and plans repairs.

Planning is under way to stabilise the seawall and replace the stairs, but a long-term repair is expected to take more than 12 months.

In Jan Juc, the beach ramp at the Surf Life Saving Club has been rendered unusable, after more than a metre of sand was stripped from the beach during high tides.

The timber ramp will be reinstalled once the necessary approvals are in place, but GORCAPA is warning the timing of these repairs is dependent on the approval process and beach conditions.

The access ramp behind the Anglesea Caravan Park also suffered significant damage in the storm. The ramp structure survived the onslaught, but the handrails and balustrades closest to the beach were destroyed.

These repairs were carried out immediately and the ramp was reopened just over 24 hours later.

GORCAPA said teams will continue to assess storm-affected areas and prioritise safety and public access as repair works continue.

While some locations are expected to reopen soon, heavily damaged areas such as Torquay Back Beach will remain closed until major works can be completed.