MNC Surf Life Saving leader says coastal erosion the worst he's seen in 25 years

Mid North Coast Surf Life Saving veteran and leader, Rod McDonagh, says Main Beach at South West Rocks is currently experiencing the worst erosion he’s seen in about 25 years as the region deals with “constant” extreme weather events.

Not to mention the width of the beach, which he says has halved in size. 

🗣️ “There’s just no sand there on high tide,” McDonagh told the Mid North Coaster. “It’s probably the narrowest I’ve seen it in a long time.”

McDonagh is President of Surf Life Saving Mid North Coast and has been a part of Surf Life Saving since he was a teenager. He knows this coastline better than most and said he has noticed “intense damage” across the region.

What happened: This year, the Mid North Coast copped huge swells caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred – a weather system that also resulted in flooding across the region. 

Since then, those living in northern NSW have experienced record-breaking floods, major storms, and above average rainfall.

These weather conditions have all been part of ongoing changes to the coastline, impacted heavily by erosion.

Quick refresh: Coastal erosion occurs when land along a shoreline is lost, usually caused by forces like waves, rising sea levels, currents and storms. 

Higher sea levels can result in higher tides drifting further inland, making erosion worse and impacting those living in once-dry locations.

Why is this happening? A hotter ocean will have an ongoing impact on the coastline. Australia’s east coast has seen above normal ocean temperatures since 2024, leading to above-normal moisture in the air and increased rainfall.

Professor David Karoly, a Councillor at the Climate Council of Australia, explained: 

🗣️ “Climate change has lifted the sea level by more than 20cm in the last 50 years”, so when an ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred hit our shores, the stronger winds and increased swell, together with a high sea level all meant “bigger impacts on erosion.”

🗣️ “The beaches probably haven’t had a chance to replenish,” Surf Life Saving’s McDonagh told the Mid North Coaster. “And that’s been pretty evident everywhere.”

How the beach is changing: Rod McDonagh is also the president of South West Rocks Surf Life Saving branch, and has been for the past 28 years. He’s noticed South West Rocks beaches are “badly eroded” and there’s a large amount of sand now sitting offshore.

🗣️ “I’ve probably never seen so much sand, or the water so shallow out of Horseshoe [Bay],” said McDonagh. “The sand deposition in the water itself has changed the whole dynamic of the beach.”

🗣️ “Even though we’ve been having some Nor-Easterly winds – which normally replenish the beach – it doesn’t seem to be replenishing. It just seems to be copping a hammering all the time.”

Safety concerns: The ongoing erosion to the coastline is impacting the beach geography, and while this shifting of sand can create great banks for surfing, the shallow water means surf conditions are altered, creating new rip systems.

McDonagh said Main Beach at South West Rocks is “generally pretty safe, but now you’ve probably got to be a bit more vigilant.”

🗣️ “Where the flags are situated needs to be monitored because it’s changing quite regularly.”

Unseasonable storms built on irregular weather patterns: Growing up in Forster, McDonagh said he remembers vividly witnessing "huge seas” as a kid, and severe weather events during the 1970s. 

🗣️ “I haven't studied the data or anything, but I know that it just seems that the weather patterns are definitely more irregular. It makes it more difficult to plan for things,” said McDonagh. “We've always had swell conditions and all that, that's always been part of what you're dealing with, but it just seems to be a little bit more irregular.

🗣️ “It seems to be a bit more frequent, particularly with the East Coast Lows we’ve had over the past couple of years.”

Harder for life savers to access beach: Across the Mid North Coast, walkways have been destroyed and some beaches now have eight-foot drop-offs onto the sand due to major erosion. 

• This causes access issues for life savers, particularly in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area, where clubs are located on the sand dunes without protective infrastructure.

🗣️ “All the surf clubs have had issues with access onto the beach after the storm events,” McDonagh said.

The weather conditions have caused Saltwater Creek – situated between the South West Rocks club and the patrolled beach – to break open and flow into the ocean more often than not. Previously, this has been a rare occurrence.

🗣️ “This is creating a lot of issues for us getting equipment onto the beach in emergency situations,” McDonagh said.

Beachgoers have also been forced to walk through the tidal creek to access the main beach, something McDonagh says can cause further safety concerns when it’s flowing quickly or the water is deep.

In July, a makeshift bridge was built when SWRSLSC hosted the Australian and Interstate IRB Championships with various events over five days.