The initial consultation period for the Seawall, Shared Trail and the Webb Street Pedestrian Beach Access Project has now closed. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this process. Your feedback is now being collated. To received updates on this project click the follow button at the top of the screen.

The Altona community is protected from the sea by a 3.5km seawall, commencing at the Cresser Reserve Jetty, and concluding at the newly constructed seawall at Apex Park. Seawalls are an important part of Council’s toolkit to protecting public and private assets in our community. They clearly delineate the meeting point of the foreshore and the beginning of built coastal infrastructure, they prevent further erosion of the coastline as well as minimise the effects of storm surge, high tides and the ongoing effects of climate change.

Over the past 10 years our seawalls have increasingly suffered from the impacts from storm and wave surges, king tides and strong winds. With this increasing storm frequency and intensity comes flooding and damage. We have seen our foreshore areas and the Esplanade inundated with sea water, sections of the coastal trail damaged by water and we have closed some pedestrian beach access points due to structural damage.

Historically, Council had 22 beach access points (or gaps) in the Altona Seawall. These gaps compromise the function of the seawall and can result in localised flooding during storm events. Council has been systematically closing these gaps and constructing beach access points protected by higher seawalls. Once completed, the 22 access points will be amalgamated into nine. There will be seven new and improved pedestrian access points. Pedestrian beach access points already constructed include Cresser Reserve, Correa Street and Millers Road with Mount Street, Altona Beach Entry, Webb Street and Apex Park still to be constructed. Two vehicle access points (one either side of the Pier at McBain Street and Bent Street) have already been constructed.

What we need to do

Raising of the Altona Seawalls

To protect our community from the effects of storm surge, king tides and strong winds, we need to raise our seawalls. The Victorian Government requires that we increase the height of our seawalls to accommodate the predicted sea level rise in 2100. This reflects a rise of 0.8m AHD (Australia Height Datuam, an altitude measurement whereby the mean sea level is the value of zero), which is approximately 20cms higher that our existing seawall, or the height of one bluestone brick.

Click here to view the What We Heard report for this consultation.

The works on the Shared Trail will commence approximately February 2022.

Moving the Shared Trail behind the seawall

In Altona, the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail runs alongside the existing seawall. The trail runs predominantly behind the seawall, however from Webb Street to Sargood Street the trail moves to the beach side of the seawall. As part of Council’s program to protect community infrastructure we will be moving the seawall in front of the shared trail in this location. Council is proposing to widen this section of the shared trail from 2.5m to 6m where possible to accommodate the increased community use that this section of the shared trial receives.

Webb Street pedestrian beach access

As part of the program to reduce the number of gaps in the Altona Seawall, Council will construct a new pedestrian beach access point at Webb Street. This access point will be similar to the one at Correa Street; it will consist of a seating platform off the shared trail, an accessible ramp to the sand, and tiered steps down to the sand that will also act as wave deflector.