Aussie beachside town to be wiped off the map as locals are given a devastating date of when their homes will be swept into the ocean
Homeowners in Pelican Point are desperately preparing a 'coastal adaptation' strategy with their local council as they try to save their town.
Property owners along Bungaloo Bay have been constructing sea walls on Crown Land over the past three decades - using rocks as heavy as 3.5tonnes.
The District Council of Grant initially opposed the initiative and took legal action against the makeshift barriers, before changing tune and abandoning it in 2017.
'The council acknowledges these hazards and has commenced a joint project to reduce the risk of erosion and inundation,' a council spokesman said.
'The project aims to identify hazards and associated risks for each coastal township by 2050, and up to the year 2100, and evaluate options to adapt and protect our communities into the future.'
Their report suggests there is a 50 per cent chance their town could be wiped from the map by the year 2100.
Resident Adrian Ferguson told the ABC he had put up a break-wall between his property and the Southern Ocean.
The District Council of Grant believes much of the town will erode away in the next 75 years (above, council modelling of erosion)
'The last shack to our right was done just before the recent storms,' he said.
'Last year, they had stones hitting their windows and the waves were hitting the windows. This year it's just seaweed.'
He said, so far, the break-walls have been effective in preventing erosion.
Mr Ferguson said some owners' motives were purely financial, as he and others doubted the scientific modelling.
Many locals are looking to protect their investments as sea levels rise with some homes worth as much as $700,000.
'I think the costing of the shacks has got out of control like everything, but I don't think the sea is rising… you talk to the old guys here, they've seen this before,' Mr Ferguson said.
The council's draft action plan said Pelican Point had several risk factors in the case of climate change-driven sea level rises.
'The town's low elevation makes it highly vulnerable to inundation during storm events, which is likely to cause substantial damage to both public and private assets,' the strategy read.
Community surveys of Pelican Point and nearby townships found nearly all of the population would support changes to their homes as part of the adaptation strategy.
Only a third, however, supported moving their own property.
'Several [residents] demand immediate action, fearing irreversible damage; others question the need for drastic measures, seeing changes as natural,' a report on the survey stated.
'Scepticism exists toward climate modelling and long-term projections.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
'Multiple millions' needed to fix sea defences in Hunstanton
"Multiple millions" of pounds will need to be spent to repair a coastal resort's sea defences to protect it from flooding, a council has erosion has led to the beach dropping at Hunstanton, Norfolk, meaning parts of the sea wall's foundations have become exposed and Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council said more than 300 of the concrete slabs on the promenade could need replacing as health manager Dave Robson insisted the prom was not "structurally hazardous" and "it's safe to come to the beach". Stretching 1 mile (1.5km) across the front of Hunstanton, around £200,000 is spent on maintaining the town's sea defences every last year, the council began a deeper investigation into their condition and found that some sections – including those near the Oasis leisure centre and pier – were "at risk of future structural failure".Changes to offshore tides had washed away sections of beach, whilst the promenade surface – built in the 1950s – was "reaching the end of life".The council said parts of the sea wall's base would need "extra protection" and other sections may need repairs, whilst up to 338 concrete slabs on the promenade could have to be cost "will be multiple millions" warned Mr Robson, who said that although a 10 tonne vehicle weight limit had been added to the prom, it was "still safe to come to the beach"."It's not structurally hazardous at the moment. We're not going to close the prom off and say don't come," he added. Planning the work could take up to 18 months whilst rebuilding is expected to take at least two the council hopes it can get funding from the Regional Flooding and Coastal Committee, which allocates money from central Squire, the Cabinet Member for Environment and Coastal, said that given the age of the seafront, the authority had already expected major works would have to happen in the next decade:"At the moment we're spending hundreds of thousands of pounds a year putting in mortar to repair cracks and joints when that can be washed out with the next winter storm," said Squire, a member of the Independent Partnership which runs the council."So this is really looking to the future of the prom and securing its future." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
Australia Post is slammed for infuriating issue with their deliveries: ‘I'm about to crash out'
An Aussie has slammed Australia Post after their parcel was nearly delivered to their home before being inexplicably sent across the country. Jay Morgan explained they had ordered a package from Melbourne, when it arrived at a distribution centre in southeast Queensland. Jay claimed the package was just five minutes away from their home when it was suddenly sent all the way to South Australia. 'I am about to crash out over Australia Post,' Jay said in a TikTok video. 'I had a parcel that was supposed to arrive either yesterday or today. It got to the final stop on Wednesday - the last depot before it gets delivered. 'Why is it now in South Australia? I am in southeast Queensland. This parcel was sent from Melbourne. 'It got through southeast Queensland, like five kilometres down the road from where I live. In what world does this make any sense? Australia Post, what are we doing?' Jay claimed it made absolutely no sense, as they could've easily picked up the parcel when it was in southeast Queensland. 'I could have literally driven five minutes down the road and picked it up from the depot yesterday,' Jay said. 'This is really the best that our country has to offer?' Dozens of commenters were shocked by the strange delivery route and did their best to make light of the situation. 'This is the most efficient way. Obviously,' one joked. 'Australia Post are literally the worst when it comes to delivering packages,' another said. 'It's called Australia Post, it needs to see more of Australia first,' another wrote. 'The parcel decided it wanted an extended holiday,' another said. Others shared their own Australia Post horror stories. 'Australia Post once shipped my wheelchair to Canada. It was being sent from Sydney to Newcastle,' one wrote. 'This happened to me. It was coming from the Gold Coast to Logan and it went to Adelaide,' another said. 'I had this happen to me last year with a box of diabetes supplies,' another wrote. 'I had the same thing happen to me. Started in Queensland, bounced between NSW and Queensland for three weeks,' another said.
Daily Mail
29-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Aussie beachside town to be wiped off the map as locals are given a devastating date of when their homes will be swept into the ocean
Residents of a South Australian town fear their beachside paradise could soon be washed into the ocean as they frantically build break-walls to stop the erosion. Homeowners in Pelican Point are desperately preparing a 'coastal adaptation' strategy with their local council as they try to save their town. Property owners along Bungaloo Bay have been constructing sea walls on Crown Land over the past three decades - using rocks as heavy as 3.5tonnes. The District Council of Grant initially opposed the initiative and took legal action against the makeshift barriers, before changing tune and abandoning it in 2017. 'The council acknowledges these hazards and has commenced a joint project to reduce the risk of erosion and inundation,' a council spokesman said. 'The project aims to identify hazards and associated risks for each coastal township by 2050, and up to the year 2100, and evaluate options to adapt and protect our communities into the future.' Their report suggests there is a 50 per cent chance their town could be wiped from the map by the year 2100. Resident Adrian Ferguson told the ABC he had put up a break-wall between his property and the Southern Ocean. The District Council of Grant believes much of the town will erode away in the next 75 years (above, council modelling of erosion) 'The last shack to our right was done just before the recent storms,' he said. 'Last year, they had stones hitting their windows and the waves were hitting the windows. This year it's just seaweed.' He said, so far, the break-walls have been effective in preventing erosion. Mr Ferguson said some owners' motives were purely financial, as he and others doubted the scientific modelling. Many locals are looking to protect their investments as sea levels rise with some homes worth as much as $700,000. 'I think the costing of the shacks has got out of control like everything, but I don't think the sea is rising… you talk to the old guys here, they've seen this before,' Mr Ferguson said. The council's draft action plan said Pelican Point had several risk factors in the case of climate change-driven sea level rises. 'The town's low elevation makes it highly vulnerable to inundation during storm events, which is likely to cause substantial damage to both public and private assets,' the strategy read. Community surveys of Pelican Point and nearby townships found nearly all of the population would support changes to their homes as part of the adaptation strategy. Only a third, however, supported moving their own property. 'Several [residents] demand immediate action, fearing irreversible damage; others question the need for drastic measures, seeing changes as natural,' a report on the survey stated. 'Scepticism exists toward climate modelling and long-term projections.'
