Bellambi pool could be ready before Christmas, as dune work gets underway at surf club

Work gets underway on Bellambi sand dunes

BELLAMBI Beach will be a hive of activity this week as dune works to improve safety and sightlines gets underway, and the refurbished rock pool gets an essential coat of paint.

The dune works are focused on a 200m stretch in front of the Bellambi Beach lifeguard tower.

Wollongong City Council is re-shaping the higher elevated areas of the dune, and replacing the taller vegetation on the seaward edge with low-growing plants to help stabilise the sand.

The purpose of the project is to provide Council’s Lifeguards and surf life savers’ better sight over beach users and to make it easier to get life saving and rescue equipment on, and off, the beach.

Wollongong City Council Infrastructure and Works Director Andrew Carfield said the need to re-shape the dunes was identified in the ‘Dune Management Strategy for Patrolled Swimming Areas’, and has been planned in consultation with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

“Dunes are dynamic environments and from time to time we carry out dune re-shaping works to improve safety on our patrolled beaches,’’ Mr Carfield said.

“We’ve carried out similar work on five of our beaches since this strategy was adopted in 2014. Provided we get good weather this work is planned to take about two weeks to complete.

“Sections of the beach will be fenced off while the work is underway. If you want to walk on the sand north of the worksite we ask people, for their own safety, to follow the signs.’’

The work coincides with the final leg of repairs to Bellambi Rock Pool. The Pool is scheduled to reopen just before Christmas after an extensive refurbishment.

Since May a new seawall has been constructed, and the pool’s walls, floor, ramp, viewing area and concourse have been either repaired or rebuilt.

Favourable tides and weather, seas and swells, this week will see the pool shell repainted. Mr Carfield said favourable conditions are needed to carry out the work to allow the paint sufficient time to dry and cure.

“We know many in the community are just itching to jump into Bellambi – it’s a very popular rock pool,’’ Mr Carfield said.

“And we’re nearly there. We’re on the final leg of this extensive project and working hard to deliver it for Christmas.’’

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