Federal coastal resilience funding protects Central Coast beaches from erosion

Six Central Coast beach sites facing serious coastal erosion will be protected under a $24 million federal Coastal Management Program investment, funding seawall upgrades, sand nourishment programs, and dune restoration works at beaches including Toowoon Bay, Blue Bay, Long Jetty, and MacMasters Beach where progressive erosion has threatened both recreational amenity and private property.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the Central Coast investment was part of a national coastal resilience program recognising that climate change was intensifying storm events and accelerating shoreline erosion at beaches across Australia. "These beaches are not just recreational assets — they are the heart of these communities and they are intrinsic to the region's tourism economy," she said.

The Central Coast's northern beaches have experienced significant erosion events in recent years, with several storms stripping metres of sand from beaches and threatening both residential properties and public infrastructure including a coastal path and beach kiosk. Local councils have struggled to fund adequate response works from their own capital budgets.

Central Coast Council director of environment and planning Scott Cox said the federal funding would allow the council to implement management works that had been modelled and approved but for which funding had been unavailable. "We know what needs to be done at each of these sites. We now have the resources to do it," he said.

The dune restoration component involves replanting native dune-stabilising vegetation across approximately 4.5 kilometres of affected beach frontage, with community volunteer groups invited to participate in planting programs as part of the council's environmental stewardship program.

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