Wyomi Beach Seawall (Stage 2) Project
Erosion at Wyomi Beach has been an area of concern for Council and the community over a long period of time. Council acknowledges that coastal management challenges, such as erosion and inundation, will only increase into the future, thus requiring a well-informed, planned approach for effective and responsible coastal management for future generations.
As a result, a Coastal Adaptation Strategy (CAS) was developed to assist in future pathways and priority actions. The CAS identified that the beach area, to the north and south of the existing Wyomi seawall, experiences on-going erosion of approximately 1m/year and is highly vulnerable to storm erosion. Given the proximity of assets and properties to the shoreline, the Wyomi beach area was identified as requiring immediate adaptation to reduce risks.
In the CAS, viable adaptation options to reduce the risk at Wyomi were considered in terms of their effectiveness and the environmental, social and economic impacts and benefits assessed. The CAS identified two viable adaptation pathways for Wyomi; Defend, using seawalls, and Retreat.
Council undertook an extensive community engagement campaign in 2021 engaging landowners in the Wyomi area, key stakeholders and the wider community on the on long term adaptation pathways options at Wyomi Beach. A community engagement report can be found below which provides a snapshot of information received throughout the engagement period.
In January 2022, Council adopted the seawall (Defend) adaptation pathway option for Wyomi Beach. The concept seawall was located parallel to Marine Parade, set back from the coastal processes, with the aim of maintaining a beach for as long as possible.
During the community engagement period, several residents raised concerns about the proposed seawall alignment, specifically the potential loss of the established dune vegetation in the area. It should be noted that if the seawall was positioned further seaward, more dune vegetation could be protected, however, the beach would be lost earlier.
Given this feedback, Council has been undertaking further assessment of different seawall alignments and their various trade-offs. These investigations, as well as the preferred seawall alignment, which was endorsed by Council at its special meeting held on 5 April 2022, are explained in the Wyomi Seawall Stage 2 Fact Sheet below.
Council has selected a balanced option as the preferred seawall alignment to proceed for approvals and detailed design. This option strikes a balance between beach and dune impacts whilst having only a minor increase in costs, projected to be $2.6m.
In March 2022, the Federal Government invited grant applications for the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program (CERMP) for financial year 2022/23. The proposed Stage 2 Wyomi Seawall met the eligibility criteria for grant funding, which offered up to $10 million for coastal projects within South Australia.
Council lodged a grant application in May 2022 seeking grant funding of $1.953M to build the Wyomi Seawall Stage 2 at a forecast total cost of $2.605M. Council was advised in early November 2022 that the grant application was successful and Council will receive the requested $1.953M.
Council has completed the tender process for the construction of the seawall and appointed Teagle Contracting to undertake the works., site works will commence 6 November 2023.
Information on the Seawall Defend Pathway and the other adaptation pathways explored, including fact sheets and our community engagement report, can be found at the bottom of the page.
Works Update
1 March 2024
Construction works on Stage 2 of the Wyomi Beach Rock Seawall are set to recommence with Council’s contractor mobilising back to site on 7 March 2024.
The contractor will continue to stockpile rock in anticipation for construction works to commence the following week.
At times there may be traffic restrictions on Marine Parade and Wyomi Beach during the construction phase, signage will be in place during this time.
Council thanks you for your patience and cooperation.
For any further information, please contact the Council Office on 8767 2033.
Fact Sheets & Presentations
Wyomi Beach Seawall Stage 2 Fact Sheet - November 2023
Wyomi Beach Seawall Stage 2 Fact Sheet - November 2022
Wyomi Beach Seawall Alignment Options Presentation by Wavelength - 5 April 2022
Wyomi Beach Adaptation Pathways FAQ - November 2021
Wyomi Beach Adaptation Pathways Fact Sheet - September 2021
Wyomi Beach Adaptation Pathways Presentation by Wavelength - 7 September 2021
Technical Notes
Wyomi Beach - Seawall Alignment Review - Technical Note
Wyomi Beach - Seawall vs Managed Retreat Adaptation Pathway - Technical Note
Community Engagement
Wyomi Beach Adaptation - Community Engagement Report - January 2022
Wyomi Beach Adaptation Pathways - Community Engagement Strategy