Main and Clarkes Beach Dune Recovery Project

Byron's Main and Clarkes beaches are highly valued for their environmental and recreational amenity, and they are culturally important to the Bundjalung and Arakwal Bumberlin people. This is clear through middens which lie protected within parts of the beach's dune system.

In the short time between April 2020 and July 2021, compounded by a lack of sand moving around Cape Byron, the dunes eroded at some locations up to 45 m landward. This resulted in the loss of high-value dune vegetation, an unstable dune scarp, exposed underlying coffee rock layers, and damaged beach accessways and infrastructure.

The natural recovery of beach systems is variable and may have taken years, if not decades. To help beach and dune recovery, Byron Shire Council and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water jointly funded the Main and Clarkes Beach Dune Recovery Project through the NSW Coastal and Estuary Grants Program Implementation Stream. This project aims to support natural beach recovery and mitigate coastal hazard risks, through techniques that protect and enhance natural coastal processes and environmental values.

The project involved months of careful planning and community engagement, environmental assessments, consultation with Traditional Owners and partnering closely with relevant agencies to seek all necessary licences and permits.

Along with onsite walkover beach inspections, pre and post-work drone surveys were undertaken to ensure that an adequate depth of sand was overlying geomorphic features such as coffee rock and to measure the amount of sand gained during the program of works and the form/profile of the newly built dune.

The project applied soft coastal management techniques, including 'beach scraping' and 'dune reprofiling' to accelerate beach recovery and rebuild an incipient foredune and swale (the low-lying area between the dune crests). This created a low wind environment, which acts as a natural sand trap and encourages dune vegetation to recolonise, helping to stabilise the dune.

The restoration techniques adopted by the project have been well recognised, with Byron Shire Council winning the Environmental Leadership award in the 2023 Local Government Professional awards.

The community has received the project outcomes well. Benefits include a lower risk to land and vegetation from coastal erosion, restored safe beach access, improved beach amenity, restoration of environmental values and protection of cultural heritage.

The project's success is attributed to extensive stakeholder engagement and a hands-on project team. Collaborating with land managers, Traditional Owners, public authorities, tourism operators and community groups allowed the team to find effective project solutions and build trust and support.

The Byron Shire Council is now looking at a long-term strategy to guide them and other stakeholders in the management of the coastal zone by setting up and implementing a coastal management program.