Cosy Corner repairs set to start

REPAIR works to the damaged sea wall at the southern end of Cosy Corner are ready to start.

The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA) issued a statement in late April that said high tides, large swells and natural sand movements had exposed buried concrete footings on the wall where timber retainers and rock had been dislodged.

A temporary closure of the area has been in place while contractors were secured to carry out the removal of damaged timber, pour new sections of concrete footing, excavate behind the seawall and install new geotextile and soil anchors.

GORCAPA estimated the works will be completed by August this year and during construction the section of seawall and a small section of the nearby park will be closed to the public.

“Winter is the time of year when we typically see the highest levels of erosion as bigger swells and more storms displace sand and shift it along the coast and out to sea,” GORCAPA CEO Jodie Sizer said of the several infrastructure sites that have sustained damage in the region.

“However, the summer just gone we experienced an usually high level of erosion at places like Rocky Point and Cosy Corner, likely due to prevailing south-easterly and easterly winds, brought about by a strong La Nina weather pattern.”

The Rocky Point staircase between Jan Juc and Torquay was similarly damaged due to large swell and high tides earlier in the year, as well large amounts of sand moving from its base.

Although some sand is said to be returning to that section of beach, it’s yet to be decided if the stairs will be repaired or whether a potential redesign and replacement is required.