Wollongong Coastal Management Program

Stage 2 of the CMP process identifies and assesses coastal risks, vulnerabilities and opportunities across Wollongong’s open coast and estuaries to inform future management actions. Building on the Stage 1 Scoping Study, Stage 2 applies a risk based framework and considers present day conditions and future scenarios out to 2125, including climate change and sea level rise. Multiple studies have been undertaken to inform Stage 2.

Seven coastal hazards were assessed, including beach erosion, shoreline recession, inundation, cliff instability, entrance instability and estuary foreshore erosion. While current coastal hazard risks are generally manageable, hazards are projected to intensify over time. By 2045, erosion and inundation risks increase significantly, particularly for transport corridors, stormwater and sewer infrastructure, low lying urban land, and recreational assets. By 2075–2125, risks become widespread and extreme in many areas, with some locations likely requiring long term adaptation, land repurposing or retreat.

Environmental risks were also identified, including degraded coastal ecosystems due to invasive species, habitat loss and vegetation vandalism and water quality impacts from urban stormwater and legacy contamination. Risks to social values include reduced public safety and beach access, and long term exposure of valued assets like surf clubs and ocean pools. Aboriginal coastal cultural values have also been documented and an assessment of the vulnerability of these values is currently underway.

Overall, Stage 2 provides the critical evidence base to guide Stage 3, where Council will identify and evaluate coastal management and adaptation options.

Residents may spot extra activity along the foreshore during September and October as Wollongong City Council begins fieldwork for a Coastal Hazards Study.

Specialist consultants have been engaged to identify coastal hazards—including cliff and slope instability, estuary and foreshore erosion, creek entrance instability, tidal and coastal inundation, and beach erosion and shoreline recession—as they are presently, as well as 20, 50 and 100 years in the future. Field work includes geotechnical and geophysical investigations and flying drones along our coast and estuaries to capture vital information.

The coastal hazard study forms part of Stage 2 of the process which involves technical studies to gain a better understanding of coastal issues and assessing the current and future risk to coastal values and assets. The remaining stages will identify and evaluate options to manage coastal issues and risks, compile the final agreed actions into a management program and then begin to implement it.

This video outlines the types of coastal hazards being investigated as part of the Coastal Hazards Study.

Council has been successful in attracting funding from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Management Program for the following projects:

• Identification and Vulnerability Assessment of Aboriginal Cultural Values and Assets
• Coastal Wetland and Littoral Rainforest Mapping
• Coastal Hazard Studies

Read more about these here.

These projects will be undertaken during 2024 and 2025 and will help to fill data gaps and update our knowledge of contemporary issues.

Funding has also been awarded to subsequently prepare the CMP. We will be sharing the results of the Stage 2 projects with our community in late 2025 so we can collaborate on the best management options to be included in the CMP.

We have now completed the Scoping Study, which is Stage 1 of the process to develop the Wollongong Coastal Management Program (CMP).

The Scoping Study utilises existing strategies, plans, reports, studies and data to identify past, current and future issues in the coastal zone. It reviews the management actions previously undertaken, and gains a contemporary understanding of management, through engagement with the community and stakeholders. The Scoping Study also identifies any knowledge gaps and provides a focus for the remaining stages required to develop a Wollongong CMP.

The Scoping Study was endorsed by Council on 20 March 2023.

Work will now commence on Stage 2 of the CMP process, which will see us complete a range of studies to obtain new data and update our knowledge base before the Wollongong CMP can be prepared.

View the Scoping Study in full
View the Scoping Study Summary

We are currently in Stage 1, scoping the Coastal Management Program for the open coast and estuaries of the Wollongong LGA.

It is the first of the five-stage CMP process and it will result in a Scoping Study document. An objective of the scoping study is to understand what our community values about our coast and current and future issues in coastal areas. This will help us develop a shared understanding of the current state of the coastal zone and identify issues and areas of focus for the new CMP.

Undertaking the scoping process in Stage 1 is beneficial for a number of reasons:

• It provides a review process to understand the progress made to date, in managing issues in our coastal areas.
• It enables us to come together as a community to understand the current challenges and opportunities for our coastal area.
• It saves time and resources, by clearly defining the necessary focus areas for the new CMP.

Community and stakeholder engagement for the Scoping Study has now closed. We are currently collating the findings of the engagement and relevant coastal data and reports to prepare the Scoping Study. The Scoping Study will be published on this page when complete.