Letter to the Editor: Protect Denmark’s Ocean Beach from recorded erosion effects

To the people of Denmark, one of your major tourist attractions is Ocean Beach.

It is also your closest local beach.

For decades, the sand bar has been opened naturally and manually.

Also there has been an ongoing debate on whether to do an eastern opening or a western opening closer to Prawn Rock Channel.

Now the people of Denmark have another problem to worry about and that is the extension of the rock seawall in front of the kiosk and surf club.

The rocks that have been placed there at the present time already show where more erosion will occur.

If the rock wall is extended further to the right and left of the kiosk, Ocean Beach as we now know it will disappear, just as Albany lost Emu Beach due to the rock wall.

The Department of Transport and its Coastal Engineers will make the Denmark Shire pay for one-third of the cost and they pay the other two-thirds to install any further extension to the seawall.

The Shire will be obligated to accept their proposal.

Denmark will lose out financially, recreationally, environmentally and the ongoing repairs to Ocean Beach.

The Department of Transport refused to re-nourish Emu Point Beach with sand to stop any erosion; the same will happen to Ocean Beach.

I have more than 30 years of videos, photos and submissions to the government on erosion issues along the South Coast and they do not appear to fix the problems, just exacerbate them.

I am keen to address any further public meetings of your concerns for the future of Ocean Beach.

Letters to the editor must contain the author’s full name, address and daytime contact number. Letters may be edited for space, clarity or legal reasons. Email news@albanyadvertiser.com or post to PO Box 5168 Albany, WA, 6332.