WE SHALL never surrender.
Not so much a quote from Sir Winston Churchill but a battle cry for Inverloch homeowners who firmly reject the ‘retreat’ solution proposed in the Cape to Cape Resilience Plan to solve Inverloch’s beach erosion crisis.
Residents and politicians gathered in the clubrooms of the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club for a briefing on the fast-eroding surf beach convened by former Liberal Leader and past Wonthaggi Mayor Alan Brown.
Life Saving Club President Glenn Arnold told Shadow Environment Minister James Newbury, Liberal Upper House MP Renee Heath, The Nationals’ Melina Bath and endorsed Liberal candidate for the seat of Monash Mary Aldred, that sand dunes surrounding the clubhouse had still not stabilised.
Mr Arnold said 20 metres of foreshore had been lost initially when water started to come in behind the sandbags and the sandbags started to degenerate.
“Half a dozen sandbags have now collapsed,” said Mr Arnold.
“The clubhouse has been saved by relocating sand every couple of weeks from nearby Norman Point."
“It’s an erosion by erosion event,” said Club Treasurer, Steve Duncan.
“The sand is deposited one day, and it’s gone two days later.”
The lifesaving club is also concerned about the safety of children playing at the foot of the dunes with a drop-off of up to 10 metres at the highest point.
“There’s always the risk of a fatality,” said Mr Duncan.
In 1990 tragedy struck at Beaumaris when a three-year-old boy was buried beneath a twenty metre high cliff collapse.
Retired from politics with seven grandchildren Alan Brown lives quietly on a farm four kilometres from Inverloch and is passionate about saving Inverloch.
“People still come to me with important issues,” said Mr Brown.
“The loss of the foreshore at Inverloch is a crisis.
“We’ve been losing the foreshore and the dunes for a decade.
“The loss of the lifesaving clubhouse is imminent, occupied by people who save lives.”
“The loss of the Cape Paterson Road cutting off access to the RACV Resort from Inverloch is also imminent,” said Mr Brown.
“Most daunting is the potential loss of hundreds of homes.
“The time for action is now.”
The one-hour meeting at the lifesaving clubhouse ended with a suggestion by Upper House MP Melina Bath calling for a ‘Town Hall’ style meeting with Government Ministers.
Others wanted a protest on the beach at Inverloch during January.
“It is time Inverloch and district to become aware of how large the crisis is and got behind community efforts to stop further erosion, or loss of assets,” said Mr Brown.
“It is clear protective works are needed to save the lifesaving clubhouse, the road, the dunes and potentially hundreds of homes.
“The State Labor Government called for a report within two years, but four years later there is still not one recommendation for action to save these vital community assets.
“The government has been negligent.”
Built in 2010 at a cost of $1.5 million the concrete foundations of the lifesaving clubhouse are now considered to be at threat from the eroding dunes.
“The replacement cost of the clubhouse is estimated at $4 million,” said Mr Duncan.
“Originally we were eighty metres from the beach and couldn’t see it,” said Mr Arnold.
The clubhouse now has an uninterrupted view of the entire surf beach.
“We’ve got to do something.
“The sandbags are failing.
“Pushing sand up against the dunes is only a sandcastle solution.”
Retreat is not an appropriate option the meeting heard.
“The primary objective should be something out there to protect us.”
“We don’t personally have the funds or power to do this by ourselves,” said Mr Arnold.
“The government appointed a committee with a million-dollar budget and four years later, still no recommendation to save the assets.
“Retreat is clearly the view of the committee.
“Retreat will mean the loss of the building."
“A non-insurable event, an Act of God,” added Mr Brown.
Glenn Morris from the Inverloch Tourist Association said it was very much about saving the town.
“If we don’t do anything, Inverloch businesses stand to lose $7.2 million annually.
“The urgency of works is higher than what is in the Cape to Cape Resilience report.
“The trigger point has already been reached.”
Three million dollars in works has been budgeted for but the Tourist Association says the temporary works at the lifesaving club are not enough.
“The problem needs to be addressed even if it’s more sandbags.”
The meeting was told it could be Spring next year before any substantial works are completed.
Three-point-three million dollars includes design and approvals.
The meeting heard most of the money will be used to pump sand up onto the beach with no protective work.
“Spring tides and spring weather events are when most damage is caused,” explained Mr Arnold.
“August 2024 was unusual, but this will happen more and more with climate change,” said Glenn Morris.
“The four days in August were once considered to be a one-in-fifty-year event.”
“Nature is very unpredictable,” said Mr Brown.
Retiree and resident Kim White said they bought into Inverloch 12 years ago.
“Climate change was not the issue it is now. The average punter in town has no idea. It’s a surrender.”
“I refuse to accept in today’s technological environment that we can’t come up with quality solutions,” said Mr White.
“We feel unloved, sitting here watching the tide roll in.
“We’re putting money on the beach and burning it. If we don’t protect what we’ve got, we’ll lose roads and sewage infrastructure.”
The meeting heard Lohr Avenue and Ripple Drive are most at risk.
“We’re talking hundreds of houses,” said Mr Brown.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars.
“As soon as the Inverloch to Cape Paterson Road is breached, we will have to relocate.”
“Insurability will be unpredictable.”
“We need a line in the sand."
The meeting called for urgent action from multiple levels of government.
“We don’t want to retreat; we don’t want to surrender.”
Concerned resident and young family man, Josh, said he had a large established business in Melbourne but decided as a family it would be advantageous to grow up on the beach.
“Young people are moving into the area. We bought an old fibro shack in 2019 and have turned it into a nice home. The retreat option is scary.”
“Retreat means let it all go,” said Alan Brown.
“Surf Parade is at risk, but the water won’t stop at Surf Parade it will keep going. Young couples or retirees won’t get a cent. A lot more properties will be up for sale.
“Property prices will collapse by up to 30 per cent for some homes.
“With insurance going through the roof, uninsurable is a possibility.”
Businesses will be dramatically affected if the road to Cape Paterson and the RACV Resort is cut off, the meeting heard.
“Inverloch people will not drive to Wonthaggi and Cape Paterson to reach the RACV,” said Mr Brown.
The proposed remedial budget was described as totally inadequate with retreat based on a small section of the report.
Averill Holderhead said she had started stepping out the length of her track to the beach.
“Our track has lost forty-seven metres ending with cliffs of nearly thirteen metres, mostly lost in the last three months.”
“It’s a matter of the government of the day saying we want to save the clubhouse, save the road, save the houses and preserve what’s left,” said Mr Brown.
“It can be done.
“You are potentially putting lives at risk in the future if there is no lifesaving club.
“Six hundred thousand dollars has already been spent on consultants.”
"Retreat says let the community go,” according to the Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change, James Newbury.
“We do not want the community to go.
“The government spends millions of dollars on sand which is just washed away. Do we say this community doesn’t deserve to exist anymore?
“Every day is a day we can’t lose. Every day counts, and we need to take action. We need a single erosion group. If the government wanted to fix it, they would.
“They can’t keep saying our policy is to surrender.”
Melina Bath said the lifesaving club petition had been debated in parliament.
“I called on the Minister to come down and listen to the community.
“A lot of stones remain unturned."
Alan Brown told the meeting that community action was the answer, not retreat.
“A major public rally is needed on the beach in January,” he said.
More information on the Cape to Cape Resilience Project can be found at engage.vic.gov.au/cape-cape-resilience-project.
Go to islsc.org.au for information on the Inverloch Surf Lifesaving Club, look for the Inverloch Surf Life Saving Club community page on Facebook or follow inverlochslsc on Instagram.