It's been 6 months since the installation of the geotextile sandbag revetment on Bay Road were installed as an emergency measure under the 2022 Eurobodalla Coastal Management Plan. 

Due to a series of storms over 2022 and 2023, combined with extraordinary heavy rainfall, the foreshore was stripped back to the bare foundations of the road. It was the most serious storm erosion since the big storms of the 1970s, and it posed a major threat to not only the road, but to the beach itself.  This occurred because the hard foundations of the road created a vertical wall, which acted like a rock or seawall and blocked natural sand recovery, causing continuing sand loss. This saw sand levels starting to drop down metres to the rock shelf under the sand at one point. 

The geotextile bags which have been placed on this stretch of Bay Road, are a very different product to traditional small sandbags like those that were installed in 2022. The geotextile bags can last 50 - 100 years, and absorb sand from around them. You may have noticed that they have started to change into the same colour as the beach, and are no longer the unsightly orange when they were first layed. 

They have been delibertly laid in a ramp formation to mimic an artificial dune on which the waves can deposit sand. This has already started on some of the lower parts of the wall. The bottom, or ‘sacrificial’ row of bags has been covered by sand, and grassy vegetation is starting to grow on them. They are also quite soft to walk and sit on as well. To date, they have withstood a few eastern low storms, without any issue or movement. 

The geotextile revetment will be reviewed by Council after 12 months to inform what should happen in the longer term and to assess beach recovery.  The options available under the approved Coastal Management Plan include:

• constructing a more permanent geotextile revetment, or 

• building a rock revetment wall.  

The Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) have promised that consultation will take place with the community when the 12 month review point is reached to inform the design of the permanent shore protection and review beach recovery.  We are closely monitoring and photographing the geotextile revetment to inform ESC’s reviews. We'll share information about the consultation to members and the broader community when we know more.  

In the meantime, members who want to share their observations of the geotextile revetment are welcome to email us to assist our ongoing monitoring.