Port Beach in Fremantle and South Thomson Bay at Rottnest Island top list of 55 locations where coastal erosion poses serious threat

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Port Beach in Fremantle and South Thomson Bay at Rottnest Island have been identified as the top two Western Australian locations at risk of coastal erosion.

In a report released on Monday, the state government listed 55 places where coastal erosion is expected to threaten homes, roads and other public assets over the next 25 years.

At Port Beach, which is among 15 hotspots in the Perth metropolitan area, this winter’s storms caused a car park to collapse and left buildings teetering on the edge.

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The council used earthmovers to pile up sand as a temporary protective measure but the Fremantle mayor, Brad Pettitt, said substantially pushing back existing infrastructure, including Port Beach Road, was needed in the long term.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Earthmovers have been used to pile up sand as a temporary measure against coastal erosion at Port Beach in Fremantle. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

The WA government estimated the cost for managing the 55 locations could be up to $110m over the next five years and said it was seeking federal funding contributions.

It is focused on seawalls and groynes, and the premier, Mark McGowan, said retreat was a last resort.

McGowan said he wrote to the prime minister, Scott Morrison, about the federal government working with the states to tackle the climate crisis-related issue, which needed more than piecemeal solutions.

He promised to raise the matter again at the Council of Australian Governments on Friday.

“I think it deserves a national coordinated response ... [it’s] going to dramatically impact communities and infrastructure for decades if not centuries to come,” McGowan told reporters on Monday.

Where industry was present, like Kwinana Beach, it would be asked to contribute, McGowan said.

The tiny hamlet of Seabird north of Perth, where a seawall was built several years ago to stop homes being swallowed by the ocean, remained on the hotspot list.

One of Perth’s most popular beaches, North Cottesloe, was among 31 locations that have been placed on a watch-list for future monitoring.

At nearby Cottesloe Beach, billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest planned to replace the well-known landmark Indiana Tea House with a large new development, although keeping the existing building remained an option.

Four ambitious designs, all including a beachside pool, have been narrowed down to two.

Critics said the designs were too big and too close to the shore.

A spokeswoman for Forrest’s Minderoo Group said managing environmental factors including coastal erosion was being considered as part of the design process.

“Once a preferred option is chosen, it will be refined by architects and other consultants to mitigate any risks in this regard,” she said.

Most of the hotspots are in the regions, including the historic China Town in Broome and Monkey Mia in the Shire of Shark Bay, which is famous for its dolphins.