Foreshore Degradation

Pretty Beach and

Hardys Bay

HB 64

Researched and written by

Graeme Smith

Address    46 Pretty Beach Road

                Pretty Beach  NSW 2257

Phone     Day 0243234350

             Night 0243602622

Fax                 0243231773

Email abroboard@bigpond.com

Sept 03

The Problems

The once twin jewels of the lower Brisbane Waters, Pretty Beach and Hardys Bay are suffering from total neglect by Gosford City Council in regard to foreshore maintenance.

Both areas need urgent foreshore stabilisation work to stop the relentless erosion  that has already robbed Hardys Bay residents of valuable parkland and useable beaches and is contributing to the now severe sedimentation build up in both waterways.

In Pretty Beach, the sandstone road siding for Pretty Beach road also forms a foreshore seawall that occasionally is subject to maintenance by Gosford council. This maintenance is restricted to back filling the wash aways between the sandstone rocks that form the seawall with what ever they have left over from other jobs, or so it seems, since some patches are asphalt and some cement and in other locations just loose rubble.

Most of the Pretty Beach seawall is now too low to stop the unsealed road sidings eroding and being washed into the bay in times of heavy rainfall. Many of the seawalls sandstone rocks have been stolen over the years and many were used to stabilise excavations done by the sewerage contractors who installed the main sewer pipes that run underground around the beach. The net result is a seawall that is providing an inadequate protection against sediment flow into the bay and only limited protection from tidal erosion.

Hardys Bay has one stretch of seawall which stretches from the intersection of  Killcare road and Araluen drive to the intersection of Heath road and Araluen drive which is constructed of large sandstone blocks and is in fair condition although some back filling is required between many of the top blocks to stop washout into the bay of the backfill behind the wall.

On the north end of the south western stretch of Araluen drive there is some sandstone rock road construction that supports the road side and also forms a seawall. Again the rocks only provide limited protection against tidal erosion with much of the finer backfill being slowly washed away into the bay.

The rest of the Hardys Bay shoreline is in disgraceful condition completely without any form of rainfall runoff or tidal erosion protection. Nothing has been done by Gosford council to address this very obvious degradation of the shoreline which in some parts along Araluen drive has severely eaten away the roadside. The edge of the road in some parts is now just over a metre and a half away from a 500mm drop onto the now rubble shoreline. This is especially dangerous since it occurs on a curved section of road that at night is poorly lit.

Shoreline stabilisation and subsequent maintenance should be a very high priority subject to a Council that proports to be environmentally sensitive. It is hard to rationalise the fact that a council which has been so forward thinking environmentally with its unique Green Corridors policy can be so negligent with the equally unique Brisbane Waters.

Possible Solutions

Sedimentation of Brisbane Waters has been on the march for many years with sections of once navigable waterways made useless by sediment build up and, although channel dredging has been carried out by the council and the now debunked MSB in years past, very little removal of bay sediment build up has occurred anywhere in the entire system.

Given that dredging has become a sensitive and difficult issue, it is now more important than ever to stop any erosion that contributes to waterway sedimentation in Brisbane Waters.

Pretty Beach

Pretty Beach needs a similar combined seawall-walking footpath that has been built around Koolewong to totally stop roadside erosion, and to provide a wide flat and safer walkway around the beach.

Most people have a fascination with the waters edge especially small children, and they prefer to walk on the water side of  Pretty Beach road despite being unsafe with the near proximity of traffic and the very poor condition underfoot of the so called grassy verge. The other side although grassy is quite often soggy underfoot and more often blocked by parked cars and boats a situation that forces passing pedestrians out onto the road.

Pedestrians pushing prams or with young children are at grave risk walking around Pretty Beach road and deserve a wide sealed walkway complete with traffic barrier as per the Koolywong walkway. The Wagstaffe to Killcare via Pretty Beach and Hardys Bay walk is very popular with locals and visitors, and forms part of a series of  highly acclaimed Buddi peninsular walks.

Although some local progress associations do not want a paved footpath around the bay, most thinking residents agree that the existing walkway will never be successfully transformed into a quality grassy verge without major rework by the council. Even if the council totally rehabilitated the verge and established grass all the way around the bay the ever increasing pedestrian and vehicular traffic in dry times will rapidly render the verge bare earth.

At present some sections of the verge have been completely covered by asphalt or partially covered by cement. Other sections are composed of road base rubble that has no topsoil and will not support grass. Some sections have subsided to the point that they are subject to tidal inundation and hence will never support grass. The verge is very inconsistent in width and it is dangerous to walk along the narrow sections especially with local P plate drivers who seem determined to turn Pretty Beach road into a speedway trial area.

Seawall design does not have to be so bland and featureless as the Koolywong seawall,  there can be provision made in the design for frequent walkway steps down to the beach as well as occasional wider areas complete with seating. The seawall design could also link with the baths and boat launching ramps at Pretty Beach but for the forlorn condition of both.

Pretty Beach has the only public baths in the lower Brisbane Waters and although now heritage listed the baths  have been allowed to silt up by Gosford council to the point that the baths are unusable except in times of the highest tides. Not far from the baths is the areas only boat launching ramp, and again unchecked sediment build up makes the ramp unusable at low or medium tide. The baths and ramp are perfect examples of the sheer neglect of waterway infrastructure by Gosford council.

The waterside public park adjoining the boat launching ramp does have a seawall that now needs some revitalising and in some parts replaced, to stop back fill erosion.

Hardy Bay

Shoreline stabilising is desperately needed along the roadside park seaward edges in many location around the bay to stop the rampant erosion of foreshore parkland.

Much of the foreshore has been allowed to wash away into the bay and silt up what were once inclined sandy beaches. The historically good swimming areas of both the west and east beaches are now badly silt and road base run off effected with no effort being made by Gosford council to reclaim the run off and rehabilitate the beaches.

The roadside-seawall stretch of Araluen Drive east of Killcare road is in dire need of both road widening and the installation of a walkway. The Killcare marina does not have sufficient parking area to carry out maintenance on the many trailer bound boats that are serviced by them. Boats on trailers parked along areas of Araluen drive near the marina  in busy times cause a traffic hazard on a road that is already too narrow.

Further along the drive past the storm water outlet major seawall construction with associated road widening and backfilling is required to repair a severely eroded section of road siding that threatens to undermine the road given time. Hear again the Koolywong style seawall/walkway would stabilise the situation.

The small foreshore parkland and picnic area on the eastern side of  Hardys Bay also needs some form of stabilisation of the shoreline. This could be in the form of a seawall walkway combination or some effort could be made to use natural grasses as a buffer zone combined with beach regeneration.

Reclaiming sandy sediment from the bay near the entrances of Mudflat creek and the Hardys bay RSL creek to rebuild the adjoining beaches would return a once beautiful and useful feature of the bay now lost by erosion and sedimentation.

This relocation of sandy sediment will deepen the creek outlets which in turn will help to mitigate flooding.

HB84

Parked cars and boats on Pretty Beach road force pedestrians to walk out onto the road.

People prefer to walk on the water side of Pretty Beach road despite the rough surface underfoot.

HB86

HB109

Pedestrians waking around the waters edge are dangerously close to traffic as they cross the Turo creek outlet at Pretty Beach.

HB97

Same scenario crossing the outlet of the RSL creek at Hardys bay.

           HB71

The new seawall and walkway at Koolywong – total shoreline stabilisation.

Seawall designs however do not have to be so bland and can be designed to be effective,    practical and fit in with the area character statement.

HB68

The so called grassy verge at the edge of Pretty Beach road. Patches of loose gravel and sand where no grass will grow, and there is not enough height in the seawall to prevent sediment and gravel being washed into the bay.

 Patches of concrete highlight just how committed Gosford council is in maintaining the seawall.

HB67

 HB63

                                                                                                                                              Severe erosion of the back fill at the western end of  Pretty Beach road.

HB98

The seawall provides no real protection against tidal or rain induced erosion.

HB79

The Pretty Beach boat ramp park with token only seawall that is ineffective at restraining back fill erosion.

HB80

The beach retaining wall at Pretty Beach boat ramp is in a sad state of repair with rusty wire netting a danger to all especially small children.

HB81

A picnic table at the launching ramp with grass area eroded away by rain and pedestrian activity. This is typical of the neglect of public facilities in the area.

HB75

Eroded parkland at near Pretty Beach launching ramp.

HB77

“ Shove a rock in it Fred ! we haven’t got time to do it right mate, the pubs open ”.

Oh yes Gosford council well done!!!   What have you got – morons in charge of maintenance?

HB93

There is no point in rebuilding the Pretty Beach boat launching ramp with the adjacent storm water outlet pumping out silt and gravel into the immediate bay area and no need to ask why the ramp approach has silted up so much and is now too shallow.

HB90

Sediment build up in Pretty Beach baths

HB85

The baths at low tide 0.45m (not that low on average). The author stands at the deep end of the now relatively useless heritage listed public baths – no one can swim here unless the tide is very high.

HB82

The north western end of Araluen drive where much of the finer rock wall back fill is now strewn across the foreshore and mixed with blue metal flushed into the bay from the nearby storm water drain.

HB76

HB64

These must be the most obvious examples of disgusting neglect of foreshore maintenance in the entire Brisbane Waters.  Take a bow Gosford council !

HB66

           HB65

Same again Sam !        

This was once an inclined sandy beach excellent for swimming nearly all the way along the western shore of Araluen Drive.

HB94

Hardys Bay RSL creek outlet into the bay now silting up rapidly with a combination of blue metal and foul smelling mud thanks to rampant mangrove proliferation.

HB95

One of two storm water drains at the creek outflow now completely covered in muck.

HB60

The shoreline at the eastern side of Araluen Drive where the roadside grass verge is rapidly disappearing and road base covers the once sandy shore.

HB74

HB70

How could the residents of Hardys allow this obvious pollution of their once pristine bay to happen? The storm water outlet on the eastern side of Araluen Drive pumps tonnes of blue metal silt and sand into the bay during times of  heavy rainfall.

HB62

Hardys Bay parade - still not sealed and frequently, unstabilised road base washes into the bay near the outlet of  Mudflat creek.

HB72

Blue metal delta at the end of Blythe street has completely covered the beach rendering it useless for children’s swimming or playing activities.

HB61

This stretch of beach between Blythe and Stanley street was clear white sand about 20 metres wide that slopped down into a much deeper bay where sea grass grew close to the shore.

B31

Blue metal delta at the end of Killcare road, yet another example of blatant pollution by neglect by Gosford council.

If the bay were surrounded by private roads, the road base run off into the bay that now exists would be very quickly the subject of heavy fines by Fisheries or the EPA unless it was removed and the beach rehabilitated.

We cannot let this obvious pollution  and total neglect of our once beautiful bayside beaches by Gosford council continue?

Conclusion

Pretty Beach and Hardys Bay shorelines and associated public facilities have been subject to total neglect by Gosford councils “turn a blind eye, or some other departments responsibility” attitude, but the road base polluted beaches and eroding shorelines are there for all to see.

During times of high rainfall sediment flows unrestrained into the bay from eroding shorelines, unlined open earth drains, badly neglected creeks, areas of unstabilised public and privately owed land and from the many unsealed roads and road sidings in the region. There are no sediment traps at the outlets of storm water pipes, open drains or creeks that enter the bay and no immediate plan by Gosford council to install any.

Gosford council is preparing an Estuary Process Study to gather data on the factors effecting the health of Brisbane Waters which will no doubt cost many thousands of tax payers dollars and then follow this up with an Estuary Management Plan that will cost thousands more.

This 3 to 4 year long jobs for the boffins exercise and associated high cost is not warranted since the major factors effecting the health of  Brisbane Waters are already known and are on view for anyone who cares to take a look! – and there is no way  we the taxpayers  should have to wait years to see action taken to address these problems.

The eroding shorelines, polluted beaches, silted up channels and sediment deltas tell it all, and the residents need an action plan  from Gosford council to rectify these problems now !!

HB92

Something to aim for - this small section of Hardys bay shoreline is the only remnant of the shorelines that were typical of the early 1900’s.