Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline

Project: Restoring a section of the Wagonga Inlet foreshore between the Narooma Swimming Centre and Ken Rose Park to create a ‘living’ shoreline.

Timeframe: June 2021 to November 2024

Status: In progress

Funding: 

  • NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries through the Marine Estate Management Strategy.
  • The Nature Conservancy Australia (TNC) and the Australian Government through its Reef Builder initiative.
  • Further funding managed by Council is provided by the NSW Environment Trust and the NSW Recreational Fishing and Camping Facilities Program.

Page last updated: December 2024

Details

We are working to:

  • transform and restore a section of the Wagonga Inlet shoreline between the Narooma Swimming Centre and Ken Rose Park
  • restore multiple oyster reefs
  • consolidate and improve public access and diversify native saltmarsh along the foreshore
  • restore other infrastructure and foreshore areas.

Benefits to the community:

  • improve foreshore protection and water quality
  • enhance access and recreation opportunities
  • revive lost oyster reefs
  • enrich estuarine habitats
  • improve habitat for fish
  • provide the capability of storing carbon.

'Living' shorelines provide a natural approach to coastal protection by using plants and other natural elements to prevent erosion, rather than traditional methods such as rock walls. The proposed outcome is an innovative solution to coastal management to protect this valuable section of the Inlet, long-term.

Major works in this project include:

  • replace the existing failing rock wall with banks of low-growing riparian vegetation to create an environmentally-friendly seawall
  • restore 1,700 m2 of intertidal Sydney rock oyster reef habitat in the area adjacent to the remediated bank using locally-quarried rock and local sterile oyster shells. Wild Sydney rock oyster spat will settle over time and form a natural oyster reef. This will enhance water quality and improve fish production and overall biodiversity of the Inlet
  • restore about 1,000 m2 of subtidal native flat oyster reef habitat on the sea floor of the ‘Deep Hole’
  • create a jetty and platform which extends into the 'Deep Hole'
  • retain existing water access for kayaks
  • consolidate access to the sandflats to support saltmarsh protection by retaining the ramp and the path opposite the caravan park building
  • remediate the stormwater drains.

The Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline (WILS) is a collaborative project between Eurobodalla Shire Council, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries, The Nature Conservancy Australia (TNC) and the Australian Government.

Project updates

Project works are in their final stages. Watch ABC News' story on our award-winning living shoreline project to see what we've achieved so far.

Watch our progress video

November 2024:

  • Local artist Natalie Bateman is designing a sculpture depicting the Wagonga tragedy story. Once complete, Council will install the sculpture in front of the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline, scheduled for March 2025.
  • Council invited the community to an official launch of the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline on 1 February 2025.
  • Teleo Designs completed construction of the main accessway and boardwalk, and GPM Marine completed the jetty and floating pontoon. The community has started to use and enjoy these new structures.
  • Nature Coast Marine Group and OzFish volunteers are carrying out ongoing monitoring of the oyster reefs; results show the steady growth of oysters in these areas.
  • Regular snorkelers have reported an increase in marine life in the deep hole.

April 2024:

  • Landcare community plantings and frequent rain has strengthened the establishment of over 17,000 native saltmarsh and coastal plants along the banks of the project site.
  • Nature Coast Marine Group and OzFish volunteers' continued oyster surveys are showing high levels of recruitment and rapid growth on our reefs.
  • Council completed a re-tender of the jetty and pontoon contract. Council will seek approval to appoint the new contractors at its 16 April Council meeting.
  • Council estimates that project works will now be completed in October 2024, as we need to appoint new contractors. Infrastructure works will re-commence in May 2024. Teleo Designs will start constructing a formal accessway and boardwalk.
  • Council will carry out a second Angasi oyster seeding event during April 2024. We will settle Native Flat (Angasi) oysters in tanks onto bags of Sydney Rock oyster shells before seeding the WILS deep reefs.

November 2023:

  • Soil Conservation Services completed major earthworks across the site with the re-shaping of banks and low-lying rock revetment.
  • Joonga Land and Water Aboriginal Corporation Rangers planted 16 different salt marsh and terrestrial species in the ground - about 13,000 plants in total.
  • Local Aboriginal artist Nigel Stewart completed his commissioned artwork for the site. The artwork is being rendered to fit on the signage across the site.
  • Nature Coast Marine Group and OzFish volunteer surveys of the intertidal oyster reef are showing incredible recruitment. Millions of oysters have attached themselves to the reef we installed in just one season.
  • The subtidal reefs are showing great progress too, with 15 fish species recorded on them – a figure that is equivalent to established subtidal oyster reefs.
  • Council will open the new site during the 2023 summer school holidays, but final works won't take place until after the holidays. As part of the final works, multiple contractors will install the boardwalk, jetty and floating pontoon.

July 2023:

  • Council, the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) – Fisheries, and The Nature Conservancy sought expressions of interest from Aboriginal artists to submit artwork for a public art (sculpture) installation for the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline located at Narooma.
  • Wagonga Local Aboriginal Lands Council Rangers completed the first 75m of plantings - about 850 terrestrial and saltmarsh plants were planted.

June 2023:

  • Soil Conservation Services started on-ground works for the re-shaping of banks and saltmarsh restoration.
  • Council, the Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries, and The Nature Conservancy are working with the selected Aboriginal artists to feature their artwork in the signage suite for the project.

May 2023:

  • Council, the Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries, and The Nature Conservancy sought Expressions of Interest (EOI) from Aboriginal artists to submit artwork to be featured in the signage suite for the project.

April 2023:

  • In a first for NSW, 2 million baby Angasi oysters were brought to the site and settled onto oyster shell bags before seeding our deep reef. The Nature Conservancy and Joonga divers dropped the bags onto the reefs and spread out the shell across six rocky reefs.
  • Construction designs and material supply for the on-ground works, including the boardwalk and jetty, are being finalised.
  • Volunteers continue to carry out surveys of the intertidal oyster reef, which show promising results after the summer oyster breeding and recruitment season.

September/October 2022:

  • Volunteers have graded, cleaned, and bagged tonnes of oyster shells to be sent to a hatchery for Angasi settlement. Over 50 bags were filled by two working bees at the Out of the Blue Oyster Shed in Narooma.
  • Project partners have been working hard to complete the detailed designs and NSW Government permits before the construction of Stage 2 can commence.
  • Over 130 Angasi oyster shells were creatively painted by kids at the River of Art’s Luminous Festival. These pieces of art will be displayed on the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline site once construction has been completed.

June 2022:

  • Oyster shells generously stockpiled and donated by Wagonga Inlet farmers will be used as additional substrate to rock on the subtidal reefs. This is intended to encourage any wild Angasi/native flat spat in the system to settle there and expedite reef establishment. However, there are very few Angasi left in Wagonga Inlet so the subtidal reefs will also be ‘hand seeded’ with hatchery-produced spat grown out on sterile oyster shell.
  • The purpose of the reef is to enhance the biodiversity and health of the estuary rather than provide for oyster farmers or broader public harvest.
  • The contractor engaged by DPI Fisheries has begun work on the oyster reef rock installation.
  • About 1,700 m2 of intertidal Sydney Rock oyster reef habitat will be installed next to a priority section of degraded foreshore using locally quarried rock and local sterile oyster shells. It will be the first intertidal oyster reef on the NSW South Coast and the first subtidal oyster reef for the state.
  • A further 1,000m2 of subtidal Native Flat oyster reef habitat will then be created on the sea floor of the nearby ‘Deep Hole’.
  • Pedestrian detours and traffic control will be in place during construction, estimated to be three weeks.
  • Council’s Natural Resource Management Team is working in collaboration with DPI Fisheries and The Nature Conservatory on this project.

Watch

Check out the flythrough of the proposed completed project on our YouTube channel:

Video credit: Nicole Larkin Design | Short Pants Consulting | REALMstudios | Royal HaskoningDHV

See our plans

You can view our plans of the Wagonga Inlet foreshore and the materials we intend to use for the project:

Please note: This document does not meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. If you have difficulty accessing the information and would like assistance, please phone Council on 02 4474 1000.

Community engagement

Stakeholder and community feedback on the draft designs for WILS was sought during October to December 2021, including:

  • a community survey (83 respondents) advertised through social media, website and posters around Narooma businesses
  • an onsite community drop-in session
  • meetings or conversations with stakeholders including Local Aboriginal Land Council and other Aboriginal community representatives, fishing clubs (Tuross and Narooma), Batemans Marine Park, oyster farmers, Easts Holiday Park

The majority of feedback received was supportive of the project and ideas raised will be considered in the detailed design of the living shoreline component. Community suggestions included solar lighting for night walks, more seating, better access on the water side of the path, better accessibility, management of mangroves for views.

Get project updates

Contact us

For more information on the Wagonga Inlet Living Shoreline Project, please contact James Caffery, Natural Resource Management Officer: