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Protect Wooli From Coastal Erosion

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Hazard a Guess

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NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes has told councils to put away their crystal balls and base coastal hazard information (particularly Section 149 Planning Certificates) on hard evidence.

Speaking at the recent NSW Coastal Conference, the Minister noted

  •  Planning certificates are one of many factors that help buyers to make informed decisions about whether to purchase a property and it is important any notations on these planning certificates are as accurate and reliable as possible
  •  Current hazards are things that pose an immediate risk like local beach erosion or coastal flooding. Future hazards on the other hand are things that are projected to impact the property in the future due to sea level rise or receding shorelines
  • From today we will ensure that advice about current or future coastal hazards, contained on these planning certificates, is evidence-based and clear
  • Councils are advised to make a clear distinction between a current or future hazard, which will give the community greater confidence in how information on coastal hazards is disclosed.

 

As you can read in this full Press Release and in the Planning Circular it refers to, there’s still wiggle room for councils but this is certainly a step in the right direction.

 

 

Wooli beach……a Year of Growth

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Wooli beach’s report card for the last year is now complete and confirms 2013-14 to be a year of growth  particularly in front of the village.

You may recall the first part of the report came in September when our Beach Survey Trends showed steady growth in beach height and sand volume. The survey’s 3-monthly view is now confirmed by the hourly view from the Coast-Cams on the water tower which reports significant growth in beach width.

Headlines from the Coast-Cams report are:

  • That overall beach width grew (or accreted) over 16 months from March 2013 to July 2014. This overall trend also happened over the 28 month period from March 2012 to July 2014.
  • There is good agreement between the data from the camera system and that from the beach surveys on beach growth.
  • The camera system was operational for approximately 95% of the time compared to 85% in the first year.

If you’d like to know more from Coast-Cams read the Summary Report  and to get the complete picture here’s the Full Report.

 

 

The Proof will be in the (Minister’s) Pudding

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NSW Environment Minister Rob Stokes hasn’t been in his job long but is already making waves for coastal communities.

 

 

Our sympathies go out to the community at Old Bar (near Taree) faced with not only  a major erosion problem but now the Minister’s recent decision to reject their council’s proposal for a protective rock wall.

With a $50 million price tag this wall was always going to be a tough sell.

But for the Old Bar and Taree-coast communities this latest report in their local paper about the Minister’s alternative proposal of Planned Retreat for the whole of the Taree coastline was every bit as tough.

 

The community at Lake Cathie, an hour’s drive north of Old Bar, must be monitoring these developments closely as their own coastal erosion decision looms. As you can see from this report Minister Stokes has clearly said (my italics not his)

“….the community should not see the Old Bar decision as a precedent. “The whole point of our approach to coastal erosion and integrated coastal management is that every embayment [coastline recess] is different,…..the government would make decisions based on rational evidence and a thorough assessment of the environmental, social and economic consequences of the plans which councils put forward.”

 

In fact, it’s a fair bet that residents all along the NSW coast will be watching the Minister’s impending decision for  Lake Cathie to see if he is true to his words. Will Lake Cathie get a decision based on rational evidence or will this decision be another plank in a policy of planned-retreat-by-stealth? As always with politicians, the proof of the pudding will be in his actions not his words.

 

 

Beach Survey trends for 2012-14

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Thanks once again to Brian Saye and the beach survey team for their ongoing efforts in accurately mapping changes in the beach.

A quick read of our earlier survey-stories, http://protectwooli.wpengine.com/category/research/beach-survey/  should help if you need a refresher on the whys and wherefores of our survey program.

We are now well into the third year of this project and have the results of nine surveys taken each quarter from January 2012 through to June 2014.

Headlines  from the latest survey data are:

 1.         From the Wall to the Village

The beach has continued to build up across its entire width from the dune to the low tide line. While the improvement is slow it continues the growth shown in the 2013 surveys.

2.         In front of the Village

The 2014 surveys confirms a substantial build-up of the beach nearer to the dune which is now at its highest level since our first survey in 2012. Nearer the water the beach is more eroded then in 2012 but has built up since the low point in 2013.

3.     From the Village to Wilson’s Headland

There is no consistent trend across the 13 surveyed segments covering this part of the beach. High and low measurements are spread fairly evenly across the 2012, 2013 and 2014 survey.

If you want to see the details  here’s a view across the whole village    in which you can use the PDF-magnifier to zoom in on particular sections. Here are the views north of  the village to Wilson’s Headland and south from the village to Jones Beach.

 

Art Show 2014

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WAG TIME AGAIN….FOR THE 4TH YEAR!

The Wooli Artists Gathering (WAG) is again holding the Wild About Wooli ArtShow.  WAG, which was formed in November 2010, is composed of people connected with Wooli who are artists, or have an interest in art.

The beauty and unique location of Wooli and its surrounding area has attracted many artists and stimulated people to develop their artistic talents. However this growing collection of artists remained largely invisible.   Prompted by the Protect Wooli campaign, it was thought important to draw positive attention to the value of Wooli, by collecting and widely promoting Wooli ‘s artist community. Those who attend meetings and express interest in the Gathering ‘s aims are members. There is no membership charge or criteria, except for involvement or interest in artistic endeavours. The exhibition has been held in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

The 2014 Wild About Wooli ArtShow will present exhibits of regional artists who are inspired by the beauty of our coast. These can include paintings, works on paper, sculptures and fabric art which fit the theme: Coastal.

 

Ian Rees has once again generously provided the venue for the show at the Wooli Hotel Motel.

 

 

It opens with a cocktail party on Friday 18th April 2014 at 6.30pm and continues on Saturday 19th and  Sunday 20th April. State and Federal Members for Cowper have opened previous ArtShows.

All the details you’ll need for the show are here in the  Invitation to Artists  and in the  Public Invitation.

Professionals and amateurs alike are welcome to exhibit, whether you are an artist, a photographer or just like to experiment with other media.  

Children ‘s works will also be displayed, so get those budding Picassos to put brush to paper!

A People ‘s Choice prize will be awarded and there are prizes for various categories.

Last year ‘s exhibition was another resounding success and many sales were made.  Here is a Slideshow  of photos from the 2013 exhibition. Press the back-arrow to leave the slideshow.

If you would like to see your work up on the walls at the show, here are your  Application 2014  and  Registration 2014  forms. If you have queries please contact Leone Coper at leonecoper@gmail.com or phone Kathleen Hull at 0407 454322.

Artist or not, come along and enjoy a drink and a nibble and admire the works of our talented coastal community. One may even end up on your wall! As in previous years, a donation from proceeds will be made to CCPA-Wooli, the community-based group working with government to develop protection strategies for Wooli beach.

Join us for a fun and inspirational evening!