No wonder big picture Counsellors retire early. Desperate Labor bring out the bigger hammer .

The ongoing Marengo dune and roadway compromise-an example  

22 reports and still the matters below are unresolved with the newly funded empire focusing on a strip of sand that some Putin like Premiers friends thought would give them territory that they don't presently control. Creating a wall and a war where visas will be required to pass over. 

Unfortunately I have to remind you that this new empire will like many before it, keep creating plans and dreaming of new things - perhaps no more balls or people in the area ?
Many see it as a way of getting focus ,money and power, but this is arse about because the issue is  environment wide knowledge, cooperation and avoiding the  disintegration created  by those who would focus on only their issue.

The question those of us who used to work together to get good catchment plans that worked , respected BOTH the rights of people to public land AND the environment . Without that commitment from government , will GORCAPA ever work ?
So many plans , so little sustainability .How is GORCAPA going to increase beach and public land access without more effective parking and access - Do they plan to  get rid of the golf course or get Vicroads and Council to move the road ?
There is a good old plan for North Apollo bay which has been ignored in the rush to build houses right up the road ;
No new plan addresses the current big threats to proper drainage , access and parking ,beachdune dune protection and land aquisition which still remain totally unresolved at BOTH ends of town.
Real plans that work integrate across BOTH SIDES of the GOR and deal with the drainage, parking roadway and beach dune preservation requirements that so far have been completely dodged to the damage of Victorian public assets .
The only plans that work are ones which last and don't keep creating Authorities ; which truly respect local competencies. and the absolute need for cooperation. http://thinkaboutthismate.blogspot.com 

We must do something about this !!

 "We must do something about this now!!  is not true    we can usually wait for more info -- that critical bit . 
The above cry was/is  always the cry of the fearmongers and the children who needed a way to gain attention .  It still is 

And don't be fooled . 
Just one group or member of one of the many groups playing the game on the foreshores of Apollo Bay needs to stand up and say , 
No lets wait --------till we get some real expert advice on this complex matter , You may have to pay big for it. 




Our governments and media are in tatters because we are reminding them that they really don't matter. 

Fix the critical section and no need for all those ROCKS

Save the beach, shift our expectations

 Published January 14th 2021 

Save the beach,  shift our expectations of who and what should move . 


Until the most likely reasons for losing metres of beach in the Milford Creek area are addressed, there is no reason to move to seawall protection measures there .

 At this stage 70 metre long groynes are  proposed for the area and are to be constructed before Easter 2021.They should NOT go ahead. 

Summary  
Nothing has been done ( in the thirty or so years the Shire have been advised of the sound coastal planning needs ) to address the regressive pressures of ongoing top of dune pedestrian access , carparking and blinkered and overly impacting  stormwater drainage and  swale abuse in the current crisis area .  Worse, The Shire  continue to allow to this day the occupation and filling of the swale as evidenced by new buildings and fill areas in the area where acquisition parking, access and flood control was recommended decades ago . 











Recommendation 

Until the various authorities plan to change the uses of land in the area ( to suit the beach ridge system )and integrate them for beach protection,  the beach and public use of it will continue to be the loser. 

Background 
Many of the reasons for rejecting the proposed groynes for Apollo Bay foreshore are addressed in earlier posts .Whatever the ongoing pressures from sea level rise ,  long shore drift , lack of sand supply from the intertidal zone from the south , no sound sand accretion in the crisis zone can occur while there is no upward land surface curve retained towards the road.
Changes to increase and retain sand retention in the current crisis zone are 30 years overdue .  The very specific measures will not not all listed here ( such as acquisition ,access changes , no more parking, pedestrian access on ridges, redeveloped storm water planning ). This because detailed planning by Vicroads, The Shire and the Public land management authorities are required to integrate the various land use pressures  to suit the subtle pressures of sound sand accretion ,and accommodate them with the large access and water flow pressures around them   

This post is necessary because of the pressure created by the immediate threats to continued access along the Great Ocean Road near Joyce Street in particular . 

 The huge  danger to pedestrian traffic and the erosion of the dunes in the critical sections  are not new and have developed over the last 30 years , so the  current quick fix pressure should be resisted till the causes are properly understood and the forces of degradation properly addressed . .


So why should our leaders stop doing what they have been planning for years ? 


None of the twenty or so reports  into the erosion problems properly deal with the huge hectares of bare sand moving on the doorstep, or our ongoing careless impositions and interference with the beach ridge system.
Now is not the time to fiddle in ignorance or act in reaction .
Instead of us keep on doing the same old thing, like pushing our access and drainage desires on the coast, ( the really big issue not yet even talked about ) we need to move back and work more closely together with the subtle forces of Nature going on there . Every component of nature needs space and the right amount of it .  Time we reviewed our abuse of natures space .

There is no justification for creating this car park in this location , 
. 
Nature is very forgiving if we give it the space it needs to work .  If we keep insisting on pushing it too hard,  or just seeing only the beach bit, the whole system will keep failing. 
The subtle but difficult changes that are needed on the  current crisis sections between Cawood Creek and Marriners Lookout road( Section 1) and the flat section before Marengo ( section 2 ) are briefly listed on the net.

Crisis sections Cawood and Marriners ( Section 1)

  
The  problems in Crisis  area 1 have taken thirty years to develop so another year without major works and direction change is NOT going to matter   .
The preoccupation with simple and incomplete  technical solutions like groynes and part problems like long shore drift ignore the variety of forces that apply in the different locations . 


The proper planning or access ,drainage ,excavation ,structural controls , land acquisition require intensive engagement by a number of authorities -- this integrated planning not going to happen on the internet but YOU can help by insisting it happens at State Government level.

The items of concern are not identified at this date . Not all needed change areas will be listed at this date . It should be noted that filling of the swale and unsound use of the ridges ( eg filling , carparks ,ridge top access ) has continued to the present day The question for you the reader Are the various authorities really interested in finding a solution that works across their various territories?

The flat section before Marengo ( Section 2 )

Between Marengo and Ocean Park Drive in particular , the road needs to be moved off the top of the beach ridge and to the West

There is no justification for keeping the Great Ocean Road on the top of the dune in this location . 

Beach rejuvenation and Asset protection at Apollo Bay

Groynes have been nominated to save the beaches at Apollo Bay .

The whole idea of sustainable development is based on the necessity for appropriate development and solutions that suit the circumstance's. This contrasts with the common contrary unsustainable and wasteful notion that a solution is in the name alone .

Not only are groynes not the solution for everywhere there, they have to be well located to work anywhere .

Sand supply is currently very inadequate (and patchy) to the beaches and dune systems around Apollo Bay township,   The lack of bed load movement through the Barham River system in recent times has limited beach dune rejuvenation on the southern beach to Marengo .Groynes can't be expected to work on the southern beach because of the structures there .
The crisis site in the town requires much more rigorous investigation and design with nature ( see below) to  support the retention of the beach dune system there.

CONTEXT
Groynes are useful in some areas ( especially where sand supply is good like to Point Bunbury and Wild Dog ). They are not " the answer" as some are suggesting for the area generally . I don't believe groynes would ever work on the southern beach,  but that's not for now
Groynes which don't fill up with sand quickly and cause it to naturally stay there ( the ones proposed in the crisis area ) can be expected to modify the environment from a beach dune system to a situation where rock walls and other non beach type features have to be constructed.
Does anyone expect the government to keep topping up the supply to an artificially raised sand bed stall forever ?And what happens to the beach and dune amenity and the pile of loose sand when it dries out / ?  
Before we commit to permanently changing /ruining the beach dune system in the crisis area, i am calling for a more thorough review of the degrading processes in that area so we might retain the full beach dune system for as long as possible .
Maybe we should move and change some of our stuff rather than expect the natural system to give way ?
Southern Beach  Marengo area 
Lack of sand supply to the dune beach systems south of the Barham River is a recurring reality . As there is no replenishment from the north , the best we can hope for is major river flows , floods and bed loads in the Barham river to place sand in the intertidal zone. 

Town beach  Crisis area     2/  70 metre rock groynes proposed to be built in the township area before Easter

There are a number of reasons why the proposed groynes in the town cannot be expected to deal adequately with beach erosion and access problems in the Apollo Bay township area. The principal limitations in the area are the ongoing problems of sand supply ,  the ongoing impact of inappropriate development practice.( which can be reduced )  and the non resolution of changed access, amenity and beach and dune performance ( the best appropriate vegetation is not stated ) 
The desirability/natural pattern of sand flowing north in the intertidal zone to rejuvenate the northern beaches has been interrupted badly by construction of the harbor. While much of the sand that would have helped rejuvenate township beaches is lost to the ocean off the end of the Harbor wall , care is required to retain and make use of the sand accumulated beyond and behind it .
Before we abandon the idea of helping to support and build the damaged beach ridge system ( its complete loss is  implied in the recent proposal document), we need to face the fact that the particular beach dune system we inherited, is the best one to maintain the natural asset so widely valued. Before any harsh measures to reduce long shore drift are imposed,   we need to be convinced that all other techniques to reduce erosion of the system have been taken ( they haven't been )  .

A full big picture review of the existing erosion risks and the possibilities to reduce it needs to be undertaken .

Existing risks --many of which can be lowered
The increased curvature of the beach behind the harbor can put more pressure on the "Crisis " section for long shore drift . This is just one of the many , if small , ongoing risks that needs to be assessed if the dune system is to survive the mass of inappropriate interference
( eg big pipes ,walk tracks, trees and parking ) that has continued since then in that section .Urgent attention to reducing development impacts needs to be thoroughly examined .

Council should have by now have processed a full survey of manmade structures ( invert levels pipe bridge and storage sizes /levels with a view of preparing for the future and future uses and land use changes ( The job of the planning department) .

Existing possibilities
There is a considerable amount of sand now accumulated behind the harbor which could be carefully used to support the beach ridge system in the crisis area, The best way to do that is not a top down approach as has been tried in recent years,(  by trying to create a dune by dumping loose sand ) but by using a bottom up approach ( maybe dredging sand into the intertidal zone).. Nature maybe slower, but it is usually more efficient .

Inevitably there will be times when the dune system fails as the existing landforms, the swale and the flood plains in both the Barham River and the Milford Creek area show.


The severe erosion of the dune system between Cawood Street and Marriners' Lookout Road ( hereinafter called the Crisis section ) is related to the failure of the managing authorities to properly manage the ongoing erosion and, in particular, the Council’s failure to properly manage storm water moving into the sea in that area and land use impacts ; there is also the Coastal authorities failure to manage and protect dune integrity ( inappropriate  fencing , access , vegetation, parking , rocks  )  .


Groynes are not going to solve the greater problem of sand supply unless the problem of sand supply is directly and well addressed by a design with nature approach . (It’s not clear from the latest report by GHD what efficient , natural and other measures, might be applied to address this.)


While groynes may assist in the problem of longshore drift the extent and impact of that drift is not demonstrated in the current reform, to be relevant in the critical control section. The impetus for the new solution for a new solution seems to come from the way the old Wild dog groyne has been engulfed. The apparent effectiveness of a groyne in a rich sand supply area, like that near Wild Dog Creek, is not a sufficient basis to adopt it in the township area. The circumstances for sand accumulation  and effective and lasting dune rebuilding need to be properly understood. .

The major basis on which sand can be supplied and retained ( equally important ) in the crisis area needs to be established before any new works created or approaches tried.


The Big Picture Review   ( not all elements maybe listed ) 
Before any more rocks are placed on the beach north of Apollo Bay, planning agencies need to more closely examine the ways in which they can continue to work with the beach-dune system. .They also need to review what all the works like rock sand tree, carpark and access and culvert placement have and haven’t done to increase the erosion .

Such a report would show:

1. What have the shire have done to accurately survey manmade features and their impact on the natural features.  Was  Tony Miners group involved in this ? 
   
2. What does  the survey suggests to the Planning Department about what  should be the proper placement  and size of roads houses , drainage , vegetation storm water storage , parking and access for the future
3. What changes to stormwater and structural landscape elements,  like the  bridges culverts fences, rocks , groynes  storage area, invert levels can do to  reduce the erosion problems .
   
   
4. What might be the best way to unnaturally move sand ; and from where to where (eg should dredging be used to bring sand into the intertidal zone ( from the ocean  floor or from behind the harbor site , for example ) Dunes and beaches are best built from the bottom up 
5. How will sand movement by wind be used to build and restore dune beach systems 
6. Sustainable long term location of the Great Ocean Road ( in principle ) 
7. Sustainable access (the boardwalk as shown in GHD report is not sustainable, ) cross dune and road and drainage planning must all  better consider wind wave and sand movement patterns required to maintain the use.
8. Long term land acquisitions and changes of land use in the crisis area ( eg whole swale area ) , as long recommended, 
9. Sound Parking (the current parking on the foreshore side of the beach side of the road is unsustainable)
10. The proper vegetation for the area (some of the featured trees are just  not sustainable for protecting the dune system. 
11. Measurements of sand movement at low and high tides, particularly in the crisis area.
12. The long term structural and other works likely to be required (from in the sea to the far edge of the swale)
13. Recognition of how and where the unnecessary erosion of the dunes can be addressed, eg by raising invert levels , changing drainage and creating stormwater retention ( eg within the swale and Milford creek?)

The diagrams and artistic impressions in the report do not show:
How wind and wave action work together and will work together in the crisis  locality. Artist impression is not good enough .(Need proper profiles and surveyed points)

SUMMARY 
Incomplete discussion of the above issues to date means that the current Easter proposal needs to be more closely examined by outside experts with a view to establishing the means for retaining the dune system for as long as possible.
There is no discussion in the report of how previous management authorities have increased the erosion by carelessly placing tracks, fences, bridges and inverts in the dune system. The types of vegetation, fencing, access, walking and parking for the future must be part of a proper plan for this area.

Such a review would establish why Colac Otway Shire Council has taken my advice to stop development behind the dune at Marengo, but not taken my advice to acquire land (under the provisions of the Subdivision Act) and buildings near Milford Creek and change the drainage and land use there.

Proper planning of some of the north and south beaches must always include the possibility of almost complete dune removal, from time to time, at least . A review of the ongoing risks to the dune systems should also make recommendations about the location of the Great Ocean Road and other assets likely to be impacted.

Let's not make more mistakes, by overlooking past mistakes .

 First
We can't do much once our reps get in,  but we can stop them getting in,  or  back in 

Second  
While we still have opportunity to choose political leaders,  lets laugh and cry over what they represent about US . 
At different times,  and with the waning and waxing of country  fortunes we get different types of leaders
What types of leaders do we want ?
Whether its Trump or Adhern ,Morrison ,Coker or Hart , let's  remember first that most of the people who chose them ( the popular lot ) probably chose them because ( at many times in history )
many of  those elected 

1. play dance and perform to impress the majority  
   
2. probably made themselves popular  by playing up to good impressions and making promises they probably can't keep - even when good intentions  are involved
3. told us  they were going to do things they probably cannot do ;
4. didn't realise that they themselves  were possibly playing puppets to,  if not their own purposes other people's,  power of their party and its prejudices and even popularity itself 
5. can't remind the crowd  that they both  cultivated the idea of living in dream land and therefore ,  they could be expected to be some of the worst people at trying to steer the ship ;to spend our savings on roads rubbish and really worthwhile new on ground works ---which are all hard work   
6. may well claim they are not responsible : "were not there :,"don't remember"   , "not my job " Some  excuses may even be true " half asleep"  "were snowed by sir H"
   
   While the above drivers are normal , they are not always thankfully the case , We can have leaders who know what they are doing and actually know why they want to serve others and how to get things done ( very important) 
   Such good leaders know they need to control Sir Humphrey . The above leaders are often controlled by sitrhumphrey the press or the changing impressions that go them there in the first place  
    2, 
   Lastly  How to get things done 
     Lets make this review real . 
   Lets make it LOCAL and review just a few ongoing severe planning MISTAKES  that have occurred under the long watch of long serving Counsellors ;
   (  Libby Coker at Surfcoast and Stephen  Hart at Colac Otway)  .
   
   To make it easy for you ,
   ask them why they didn't properly plan the use of public land , public interest and proper use of local resources in each case . 
   
   You may like to ask them why they're not party or responsible  to these longstanding unnecessary and obscene sores on the landscape   Still current and you can read about them via Otwaysonline.blogspot.com 
   
   
7. SURFCOAST  ( Coker )    houses evacuated below dam in East Torquay in October 2020  
   general congestion - no expansion of public spaces ;sale of public land which could have been used . 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

COLAC OTWAY   ( Stephen Hart has been on Council for four terms 16years and claims to represent the coast in particular  ) Just a few examples of many 
1. Failure to protect  or even develop  a plan to protect the beach ridge system in Apollo Bay north  ( see earlier  post ) 
 2. Failure to insist on a workable tourist site at the OTWAY FLY area  while it was still easy and plans were actually  in place  ( planning stages ) 
3. Failure to direct Great Ocean Green development in a sustainable direction.

How long does it take some people to work out what's wrong . The erosion of the beach at Apollo Bay and the way to control it

LAST WEEK
The Colac herald reported that people were at great risk of being run over as they tried to walk along the Great Ocean Road in the sections shown on the attached photos ,( South of Marriners lookout Road)  
 

20 YEARS OF INCOMPETENCE 
The Council look like getting more reports and being party to more suspect works  when the integration of the existing reports is the immediate thing needed to make progress with effective erosion control, beach dune restoration  and long term safe access . 
 
The process I want to see more of is  called sustainability. Sustainability requires integration not more hallucination . Its mo wonder the State Government via GORCA are now determined to tell our Colac Otway Council what we already know, that is "  they don't know what they are doing" .
After two decades of meddling and empire building ( The State  haven't given up on the former ) the State are finally going to reinstate me , well at least someone with some of my qualifications in  geomorphology .
I would rather our Council did a proper job so we would reduce the empire building( and the corruption risk that goes with it ), the growing fly in fly out cultures.  and actually have some money to fix the walks .  fat chance unless we work better together. 

OUR BEACHES RUINED -- unnecessarily 
Long standing members of this  Council were advised many times about land use control ,runoff storage and dispersal to protect the beach ridge system  as best as is possible under the conditions of reduced sand supply from the south  .
 Clearly not enough planning has been done with access and drainage pressures  to reduce the erosion of the beach dune system.  More attention to longitudinal and lateral grade maintaining measures are needed to ensure beach blown sand accumulates back in the foredune and dune.  Significant changes to access and parking are also needed( more of it placed into the swale were expected) 
While little can be done to replenish sand supply from the south ( since the harbour was built and the Barham bed load transfer is currently low , changes to pipe, surface drainage and water storage are still needed to help the dune stay more intact . Swales should be left for such a time as this . 

THE TOTAL ECOSYSTEM
A least one building and quite a lot of fill (eg along  the Joyce street crossing  area has to be removed from the swale so this can happen, More public access and use of the swale  ( say for parking and storm water storage) should have occurred decades ago.
The retention of beach is dependant on aggradation of sand in the dune system  .Clearly not enough has been done to limit pipe and drainage and access  impact.  Complex integration  advice was given to  Council members,  not only at on onsite meetings , but with various subdivisions and drainage plans. one of which is shown .

The State Subdivision Act provisions require all  Councils to take a very significant  percentage of the profit . from subdivisions and USE it to acquire more public land . where is it people ? 
  .We may never find out where that money went, but we expect the new Council to take back control of the swale and do the required works there 
Ignoring the requirement for proper beach ridge protection, the Colac Otway Shire Council have allowed buildings and works on the swale  .


Clearly Council to date have failed in their duty of care  because they,  like so many others before them, have seen only one,  or perhaps two, problems - the beach and the erosion,  and what some see as solutions (  More  like distractions - more reports from consultants ) 
We can all see the natural sea erosion which occurs from time to time . What is less obvious is the rebuilding of beach and dune by wind blown sand  and the normal transfer of sand  along the coast in the tidal zone . Instead of integrated planning and study we have streams of new ideas that ignore  the quiet extensive defaltion that goes on hour by hour across 50 metres of intertidal exposure when we are not there . Groins would not be expected to help here because there is little lateral transfer of sand in section shown : the subtle  wind processes are the key   

To protect something you need to protect the whole ecosystem, By not considering  the whole system Council  have thrown rock into what  is and should be a predominantly sand system and made it worse. The pipes are not only far bigger than they need to be,  the inverts and flood outlets are not even designed . 
Colac Otway Shire Council have turned a lovely sandy beach into a rocky one. 

 

THE BEACH RIDGE SYSTEM    

Clearly Council have yet to come to grips with the processes of sand movement which are only addressed by works which deal with a variety of natural erosion and accumulation processes from the beach  foredune dune to the swale. Storm runoff  was naturally designed to be accommodated in the swale area greatly reducing the huge pipe systems placed by flat earth engineers. 


Compromises  While the redevelopment of the swale is the key to much of the restoration,   recent   new building ,old low buildings  filling of swale, road , parking  and cutting of the dune(  and allowing erosion - tracks and car parks shown ) have yet to be addressed in the context of  restoring a  functioning beach ridge system. Letter refer to areas of concern 












Some of THE DETAIL on this post has been removed,  If you are not convinced that your Council has failed to take sound advice  from the above detail,  I am happy to receive genuine question s   ( Features like the swale acquisition and restoration   , the extra buildings on the swale  to be removed , carparking, safer and stable access routes  are not all shown partly because various planning matters have yet to be  properly integrated.  20 consultancies of experts in various fields doesn't guarantee a sound sustainable and workable outcome .  COT Council have yet to acknowledge the need for more swale, land drainage control and access changes . Sketches show some of the works still to be properly considered .

OTHER  NATURAL SAND SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS   
The protection of the swale is always necessary for periods when there is insufficient sand supply from the river .




We can't do much to restore the sand supply connection ( see discussion on Facebook  Otway Community News re Barham river ) and transfer south,  now that the harbour is built.  . The rock barrier for the harbour tends to drive the sand into the deep  sea ( presumably a big loss ) but  the restoration of the dune and no compromises in the swale ( as have been arranged south of the river mouth in the case of the Barham  ) are necessary,  possible and must be done first . ..