1967: When Collaroy's unit blocks faced collapse

Above: The Sydney Morning Herald published an aerial shot of the storm swells threatening properties at Collaroy on the front page of the September 7, 1967 edition of the paper.

Source: Anon. 1967. "Beaches Ruined: Battle to save esplanade, homes". The Sun, September 5, 3.

For many of us, we remember the devastation at Collaroy Beach last year when 10 homes faced collapse at Collaroy when the beachfront was eroded heavily during a storm.

Fifty years ago, homes and unit blocks along the beachfront were threatened with collapse when similar conditions affected the beach over several weeks in August and September of 1967

The worst affected dwellings were just south of Ramsay Street. This included the Flightdeck and Shipmates apartment buildings. The foundations were exposed leading to the risk of collapse.
One nearby home nearly fell into the sea. Fifty years and many storms later, its still standing.

 

Source: Anon. 1967. "Fight to Save Homes". The Daily Mirror, September 6, 5.

The battle against nature was won

  

Source: Anon. 1967. "The Beach Battle Won: Rock Wall Holds". The Sun, September 7, 2.

People were being warned back then about the loss of beachfront properties which could have occurred within a lifetime e.g. fifty years. The beachfront homes are still standing today. However, with natural processes, the Collaroy area will eventually succumb to the sea. 

Source: Harrison, T. 1967. "Professor says... All this Will Go! But don't panic, it may take centuries". The Sun, September 7, 4. 

The properties in the affected area in 1967 eventually saw a rock seawall placed in front of their dwellings. This has prevented further erosion and any loss of property. However, it stopped at Ramsay Street. The worst affected properties in last years super storm were located to the immediate north of the street.

Is it worth spending a fortune on beachfront property? Some are prepared to fork out the money, but they do so knowing that the next storm could see their home washed out to sea.

Fortuantely, we have learnt in Sydney and NSW that building right on the foredune of a beach is not good in protecting a beach, but also the damage it can cause to buildings in the event of erosion. Highrise buildings are no longer permitted in beachfront areas that are vulnerable to beach erosion along with restrictions in housing development?

But what about homes built before the laws? One can still build, but bear the risks that the next major storm can bring.

1974: The battle to save beachfront homes at Bilgola Beach

I was motivated to do this entry after what occurred back along the beachfront at Collaroy in June. Ten homes fronting the beach were threatened with collapse after heavy swells caused by an East Coast Low eroded the beachfront.

The East Coast Low of May 25-26 1974 (known as the Sygna Storm) is regarded as the most ferocious storm to ever strike Sydney.  The city was pounded by heavy rain, strong winds (up to165km/h) and record swells of nine metres along the city's coastline. the worst damage was reported on the city's beaches, which were heavily eroded. The following fortnight saw another two East Coast Lows hit the city, which only worsened erosion.

The worst hit area was at Bilgola Beach, where homes in June 1974 were threatened with collapse which was quite similar to what happened at Collaroy this year. Below is the front page of the  June 5, 1974, edition of The Manly Daily.

A seawall was built (presently under the dunes) to protect the homes. Fortunately, they were saved as this front page clipping from The Manly Daily of June 12, 1974, shows below.

 An almost intact pool fell into the sea, just like at Collaroy earlier this year.

It is inevitable that the homes on the beachfront will be threatened again in the future as natural processes reshape the beachfront and retreat inland. There is no date for when it will happen, but luckily locals have not had to deal with the threat of losing their beachfront homes since that storm.

  

1989: Sydney's filthy beaches

I was five years old in 1989, but too young to understand the talk about Sydney's dirty beaches at the time. Older readers might remember the weekly beach reports telling you if it was clean to swim or not. I have a number of clippings that talk about the issue.

During 1989, beach pollution had become a major issue with swimmers complaining of various infections that resulted from swimming in the water.

Source: Mealey, E & Craig, O. 1989. "Beachside doctors tell of surf victims". The Sun Herald, March 12: 6-7.

Surfers were also prepared to boycott events at Sydney beaches and even lifesavers were unwilling to rescue swimmers.

Source: Feneley, R. 1989. "Surfies boycott Sydney's oceans of filth". The Daily Telegraph, January 7, page unknown. 

At the time the deep water ocean outfalls were under construction at the Sewage treatment plants at North Head, Bondi & Malabar. Instead of sewage being directly discharged into the sea from the cliff tops, the sewage would be pumped through pipes that extended to four kilometres off the coast. The sewage would be diluted and dispersed further out to sea.

These works had been commissioned by the Water Board in 1984 in response to the rising occurrence of pollution at Sydney beaches. The clifftop pipes meant that the effluent easily washed onto city beaches, making it unsafe for swimming. Currents sent it drifting up and down the coast resulting in pollution at other beaches.

Below is an advertisement educating the public on the ocean outfalls.

Source.: Water Board. 1989. "We are committed to ending pollution of Sydney's beaches (Advertisement)". The Daily Telegraph, January 16, 12. 

A Waterboard Study during that year found that only one beach was safe for swimming. It was Elouera at Cronulla. South Curl Curl Beach was the most polluted.

 

Source: Olsen, S. 1989. "Pollution report lists just one clean beach". The Daily Telegraph, November 24, 3.

The outfalls at Malabar was completed in September 1990, North Head in December 1990 and Bondi in September 1991.

Since then, water quality at Sydney beaches has improved dramatically as the sewage is less likely to be swept onto the beaches.

It was interesting this past week to have a look at the Beachwatch reports online and noting that the coastal beaches were generally safe for swimming with the exception of Boat Harbour due to the possibility of contamination.

However though when it rains, you are generally advised to avoid swimming for a day at coastal beaches (two days elsewhere) due to stormwater run-off.

I have other clippings, and hopefully in the future can comment further and add to what is here.