Fund to protect Apollo Bay’s coastline

THE state Labor Government has committed $3 million towards maintenance and erosion management projects in Apollo Bay, and a local Liberal MP hopes it will be more effective than previous measures.
Labor Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney said the funding would go towards designing and starting construction of new coastal protection structures to protect beaches in and around Apollo Bay and safeguard sections of the Great Ocean Road.
“These works will help to restore Apollo Bay’s much-loved coastline – helping to ensure safe access and protect the marine environment.
“Our precious coastline is facing significant climate challenges and we’re working hard to address this in the short and long term.
“This funding will help create jobs while protecting our coastal environment so locals and tourists can continue to enjoy it for generations to come.”
The $3 million for Apollo Bay was part of $11 million announced last week by Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio as part of a package to help address the climate challenges of rising sea levels and coastal erosion along Victoria’s coastline, and part of Labor’s $2.7 billion Building Works package.
Thousands of cubic metres of sand have repeatedly been dumped on the beach at Apollo Bay and Marengo to counter the naturally occurring erosion in the area caused by storms, waves and wind, most recently in November 2019.
Polwarth Liberal MP Richard Riordan visited Apollo Bay in late May to inspect the beach, and said the walking track had now been affected so badly that it was no longer usable, forcing walkers to use the side of the road to access the town.
He said the sand renourishment program had failed to stop the erosion.
“The local community is concerned that the same program that is consistently failing to protect the foreshore reserve and walking track is again being promoted as an option for managing erosion. Minister D’Ambrosio’s token offer to continue to dump sand when this has consistently failed is just ridiculous.
“The issue of coastal erosion at Apollo Bay deserves a real financial investment that will result in a solution to restore a beach that the locals can be proud of.
“It won’t take long before another storm surge will again reveal just how pointless this expensive exercise of moving sand from one beach to another is proving to be. Local people are tired of watching the truckloads of sand being washed away and are left pleading for real help and financial investment from the relevant authorities.”