Aussie councils on both sides of the country continue to grapple with erosion and shifting sands causing beaches to disappear and beachfront properties to have their foundations threatened. But one council has given new life to some incredible World War II artefacts after they were "unearthed" at a local beach amid ongoing efforts to prevent erosion.
A number of large "tank traps" designed to thwart an invading enemy have reappeared in recent years as sand washed away on beaches in the area. The bulky items of war were pulled up as the council undertook work on a new seawall that commenced in 2023 in order to help shield the shoreline.
Originally part of a 6,000-strong defence line, the historic pyramids were deployed along the coastline more than 80 years ago because at the time it was anticipated the Japanese may attempt a beach landing. Dozens of them have since been removed from Stockton Beach, which sits just north of the Hunter River in NSW, and is famous for its sand dunes and 4WD access.
"Measuring around 1.5 metres tall and weighing around two tonnes each, the World War II tank traps were unearthed during the Mitchell Street seawall project," a spokesperson for the City of Newcastle told Yahoo News.
"A specialist contractor has been engaged to carefully relocate the tank traps, with preparation work beginning this week ahead of their transportation next week."
The council will give the historic items new life, while preserving them on land used for the housing of defence personnel, while three of them will be relocated to just near the new seawall.
"They will serve a new purpose protecting native vegetation and preventing unauthorised vehicle access, while ensuring they remain a part of both Stockton's and Australia's defence heritage," the spokesperson said. If weather allows, the work is expected to be completed in early October.
The relocation of the traps comes as Newcastle Council unanimously voted last week for a $63 million plan to buffer Stockton's coastline from erosion, with final approval expected to come from the NSW state government.
The vote, which extends the Coastal Management Plan in the area, "establishes a clear pathway for the delivery of mass sand nourishment supported by regular sand top-ups, which has been identified as the most feasible, viable and acceptable long-term solution," the City of Newcastle's Executive Director of Planning and Environment, Michelle Bisson, said.
Stockton Beach is described by experts as a sandy barrier peninsular, and is one of the most serious "hotspots" of coastal erosion on the NSW coast.
But the issue is playing out all along the east coast, including further north in Queensland.
Ruth Reef is the head of the Coastal Research Group at the School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment at Monash University, and she explained that while shifting sand patterns are a natural thing, wild weather has contributed to coastal erosion on the east coast lately.
"The beaches along the east coast of Australia have been experiencing erosion due to a series of storms in the recent past," she told Yahoo News recently.
In Queensland, the University of the Sunshine Coast's Dr Javier Leon told Yahoo in March that beaches, including Surfer's Paradise, where dunes were impacted by wild weather from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, could take years to recover.