Foreshore protection program about to start at Lake Conjola

A section of eroded foreshore at Lake Conjola is set to be restored by Shoalhaven City Council to stabilize the bank, improve habitat and protect public access and amenity in the area.  

In the following weeks, the Council will begin work on the 500-meter site, which stretches the length of the Lake Conjola Holiday Haven park and the carpark of the Conjola Beach Boat Ramp, on the southern foreshore.

Mayor Patricia White said that protection of the site is listed as a priority in the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program (CMP).  

“Lake Conjola is one of many jewels we have in our crown in the Shoalhaven, and it is vitally important we undertake the necessary work to protect it for our enjoyment, now and into the future,” White said.  

“This work will have multiple long-term benefits, not only for amenity and accessibility but for biodiversity, including the restoration of habitat for threatened species and ecological communities at the site.”

The project will include:  

• Creation of a 2–3 meter riparian buffer (vegetated strip of land) using suitable low growing native species, with gaps for water access,
• Installation of saltmarsh benches (engineered structures to stabilize the shoreline) for creation of marine habitat and filtering of stormwater runoff,
• Installation of rock beaching, or strategic placement of angulated rocks, to address erosion,
• Conversion of concrete spoon drains to vegetated swales (shallow excavated channel) to slow water flow, allowing sediments and contaminants to settle before reaching the lake,
• Creation of formalized access points to provide safe and easy access to the water.  

The work has been funded under the Australian Government’s Urban Rivers and Catchments Program and is due to start in late April 2026.