Many of our early environmental pioneers fought long and hard campaigns to protect the Pumicestone Passage and our beaches. One of them was the late Kathleen McArthur (1915–2000), who wrote the remarkable book Living on the Coast in 1989.
The book is a personal account of her efforts to protect our beaches, wetlands and estuaries. It documents damage to our natural environmental heritage and includes chapters that remain just as relevant today, particularly Many Ways to Kill a Beach.
According to Kathleen, there are two sure ways to destroy a beach: remove sand from it, either above or below the high-tide mark, or build a rock wall without maintaining a substantial sandy beach buffer in front of it.
Kathleen recounts many important local stories, including the removal of vegetation and flattening of dunes at Kings Beach, and the destruction of the Kawana dunes by developers in 1972. Following Cyclone Wendy, severe erosion exposed the consequences of those decisions and prompted costly repair efforts.
She also details her often spirited interactions with local councillors, mayors, state MPs and government officers. Anyone interested in protecting our beaches and the Pumicestone Passage would benefit from reading her book, which is available through the local library network.
During my own research into coastal management, I have read numerous reports, attended national conferences and met many leading environmental scientists, including Australia’s foremost coastal scientist, Professor Bruce Thom AM.
I was also appointed to the Queensland Beach Protection Authority and the National Coastal Protection Advisory Council, contributing to the development of the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995, which remains in force today.
Another revealing local publication is Kawana’s Yesterdays by Anne Wensley and Caloundra historians Janice and John Groves. Through photographs and historical records, it demonstrates how government planning decisions can sometimes miss the mark, including the bulldozing of coastal dunes to provide fill for development.
Any project that permanently removes sand from above or below the high-tide mark reduces the volume of sand moving naturally along our coastline from the Tweed River to K’gari. Likewise, while rock walls protect land behind them, exposed seawalls can contribute to beach erosion if adequate sandy buffers are not maintained.
Ultimately, protecting our coastline comes down to education and informed decision-making.
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Image: Robyn Boston
