DEPI Home > Coasts & Marine > Coasts > Portsea protection works

Erosion has caused significant changes to the Portsea foreshore. Over the last three years Portsea beach has receded 20 to 25 metres.

Since 2010 DEPI has undertaken pier stabilisation works and constructed a 150 metre sandbag seawall to protect Portsea foreshore and minimise further erosion.

DEPI will soon be undertaking maintenance works to strengthen the sandbag seawall so it can continue to protect Portsea foreshore and community assets.

The decision to strengthen the sandbag seawall and maintain other existing seawalls follows the recent completion of the Portsea Prefeasibility Study.

Portsea Prefeasibility Study

In 2012 DEPI commissioned a Prefeasibility Study to investigate coastal erosion management options for Portsea beach.

The Study assessed all feasible options and after careful consideration by DEPI, it was determined that maintaining the existing sandbag seawall was the only viable approach.

Portsea Beach Pre-Feasibility Assessment of Erosion Response Options [PDF File - 8.9 MB]
Word documents are available on request

Sand Monitoring Program

In May 2011 DEPI commenced a Sand Monitoring Program to assess beach and inshore sand level changes and help determine future management options for Portsea beach.

Over the short term beach erosion is typically cyclical and strongly influenced by storm activity causing erosion, followed by accretion during calm periods. This pattern has been evident at Portsea during the monitoring program.

Monitoring Report [PDF File - 7.2 MB]
Word documents are available on request