Replenishing and revegetating Clarkes Beach sand dunes

Soil Conservation Service staff are currently very busy working on the beautiful Clarkes Beach to replenish and revegetate sand dunes.

Soil Conservation Service
Soil Conservation Service photo

Dunes on Main beach and Clarkes beach had been eroded by severe weather and east coast lows, and they are now working with client Byron Shire Council to restore these community assets.

Sand was moved towards the back of the beach, which will be followed by revegetation and dune management.

“Work has gone tremendously well, with a mix of our own and subcontractor plant and operators,” Soil Con said.

The work is being done between the Byron Bay Surf Club and the Byron Beach Café with the aim being to mimic nature by taking some of the sand that has built up in recent months in the tidal zone and pushing it further up the beach.

“If left alone, the tides, waves and wind, will eventually push the sand up the beach to reform the dunes so we are just speeding up the process,” Chloe Dowsett, Council’s Coast and Biodiversity Coordinator, said.

When the sand is in place, the dunes will be fenced and planted with appropriate native vegetation and access paths provided for people to get on and off the beach easily.