Sections of a Sunshine Coast seawall are falling apart, prompting urgent investigations, reparations and warnings to avoid the area.
Sunshine Coast Council issued a media release urging people to stay away from the Moffat Beach seawall, due to the risk of falling rocks and injury.
It comes as another section of the wall was damaged by persistent rain, large swells and beach erosion.
Cracks have appeared at the top of the wall, rocks have become displaced and the southern section of the wall is starting to subside.
Council has fenced off the affected area, which is about 165m in length. They urged people not to climb on the wall and to follow signage for their own safety.
A temporary fence and signage have been installed in the area to warn people to stay clear.
“We ask people to not walk along the beach, near the wall or to climb on the rocks,” the media release said.
The beach access stairs are still open to give water users a direct route to quickly exit the ocean and make their way back up to the park without having to walk along the beach.
Council said there is a significant risk of the wall deteriorating further and, if that occurs, rock falls are highly likely.
“The rocks can fall onto the beach at any time, and if it does, it will happen fairly quickly – within about 10 to 20 seconds – which means that anyone standing at the base of the rock wall will be injured,” the release said.
Independent geotechnical and coastal engineers are being engaged to assess the damage and provide recommended solutions.
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Temporary repair work will take place within the next few weeks while council works on a longer-term plan to stabilise the wall.
The safety signage and fencing will remain in place for the duration and the beach to the north of the seawall can still be accessed via Eleanor Shipley Park.
“Our community’s safety remains council’s top priority throughout the project,” council said.
The cost to repair the seawall is unknown at this stage.
Council has set up a webpage to keep the community informed as the investigation continues.
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