Send in the sand: Stockton beach once again crippled by devastating erosion
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
Pristine day heralds winter solstice and longest night of the year
There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day.
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- The Advertiser
Send in the sand: Stockton beach once again crippled by devastating erosion
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said. IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time. As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe. Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left. So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline. Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss. Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy. The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad". "It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said. "We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop." A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly. "This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said. "The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day." The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report. The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary. The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion. "Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says. "A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term." Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton. The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign. Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program. "It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution." City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage. The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan. "City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
The Advertiser
07-06-2025
- The Advertiser
The photos that captured a disaster: 18 years on from the Pasha Bulker storm
Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
