Tides of Change

One of the interesting things about Inverloch is the ever changing seascape of the inlet. Over the past decade we have witnessed a fascinating evolution of the coastline as the huge volumes of sand are shifted about by the tides and storms.

For the past few years there has been a dramatic deposit of sand near the mouth of the inlet, so much so that the coastline had progressively moved many hundreds of metres into the inlet. The sand had then progressively got covered with grass, so that it was looking more like an extension of the mainland, than a beach.

This vast new region of reclaimed land became home to nesting plovers and a popular area for sandwalkers and joggers. It was even home to a mysterious collection of conical shaped piles of driftwood. These woodpiles have become something of a local attraction.

All of that has once again changed dramatically. This afternoon we braved the rain and freezing weather to spend some time parked by the water. To our amazement, a vast quantity of the sand had been swept away and the water was lying in places where it has not been for years. It was quite a surprise and another reminder of the enormous power of nature.

A couple of kilometres further along to the surf coast we found the tide was in so far that the waves had completely washed over the breakwater and were crashing against the exposed cliff face. This could mean that the Bunurong Coast could be about to suffer some serious erosion. I guess time will tell.Read more