Stockton locals are relying on council and the state government to keep up their commitments, as the erosion-stricken coastline inches closer to homes.
Over time, the beloved beach has dwindled dramatically, losing more than 10 million cubic metres of sand at an average rate of 41,000 per year.
University of Newcastle (UoN) Professor Ron Boyd, who is on the Stockon Special Advisory Panel, admitted it was an ongoing issue.
“Dalby Oval is only two-thirds of the size it originally started out as,” he said.
“There was continuous erosion chopping back, which almost reached the cricket pitch in the middle before stabilisation took place.”
On 10 October, City of Newcastle (CN) and NSW Government officials announced an additional $390,000 two-to-one investment into beach rejuvenation measures.
It builds on a $21.5 million allocation by the state in the 2025/26 budget.
The funds will go towards various stabilisation measures, including beach scraping which will move sand from lower, fuller parts of the beach to the upper areas and dunes to maintain the coastline’s shape.
“If we don’t do this sand scraping and dune stabilisation, you get very expensive emergency works which council will have to undertake,” Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp said.
“We saw that when we had to take out the row of cabins down here at Stockton caravan park, it’s very expensive… we don’t want that.
“It’s better to save money now to save large amounts of money going out the door later.”
Mr Boyd said while residents had suffered due to the impacts of erosion, they were thankful for the helping hand.
“Every commitment to the community means that we’re being heard… and we’re not just being left to fend for ourselves,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.
“At the moment, I suspect this program will maintain the beach over summer.
“It’ll mean that the surf club will be able to run patrols, they’ll be able to get their rescue crafts in the water, and the local community will be able to enjoy their beach.”
Meanwhile, neighbouring coastlines along Newcastle’s southern beaches, including Bar Beach and Merewether, are facing similar issues.
Managed retreat is a potential option being floated by council, which will involve physically moving infrastructure back from the affected areas.
But, Cr Callum Pull said the same solutions couldn’t be applied to Stockton as well.
“Some of the unique issues that are happening with the Southern Beaches at the moment are because those buildings are surf clubs, whereas at Stockton we actually have homes,” he stated.
“So, managed retreat is not the same option as it is at Bar Beach where you’ve got Memorial Drive and a park but not many actual residential buildings.”
Beach scraping and restoration initiatives are expected to begin for Stockton in November.
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