Dunsborough Foreshore Coastal Adaptation Works

Over the past 15 years the foreshore at Vincent Street and Bayview Crescent in Dunsborough has experienced erosion. Beach erosion has weakened mature peppermint trees, steps and pathways, exposed the damaged revetments (large rocks placed along the foreshore to protect against erosion) at the northern end of the beach and stormwater outlets, and threatened to erode the dual use path.

The original revetment at Vincent Street is now in poor condition and needs maintenance. The proposed refurbishment (along with increasing sand volumes and dune stabilisation work) forms part of the City's program to manage the foreshore.

Proposed Coastal Adaptation Works at Dunsborough include:

• Maintenance of Existing Rock Revetments:
  • Vincent Street: ~150 meters of existing retaining rock to be maintained.
  • Bayview Crescent: ~150 meters of existing retaining rock to be maintained.
• Dune Resilience Works:
  • Build a wider, stabilised dune at Vincent Street to act as a natural buffer against erosion.
• Beach Nourishment:
  • Add sand to widen the beach at Vincent Street
• Optional Granite Outcrops (Subject to Community Consultation):
  • Install granite outcrops for moderate protection of the beach

We're seeking community feedback on two elements of the coastal adaptation program: Aesthetics of the retaining rock (revetments) - weathered face visible or hidden and the optional installation of the granite outcrops.

Consultation closes 5.00pm Monday 30 March 2026.

Revetment (retaining rocks) Appearance

We appreciate that aesthetics are important, so we're inviting you to have your say on the appearance of the rock.

The options are:

• Weathered Face Hidden: Granite with weathered face hidden to provide a consistent appearance. Granite is a blue/grey igneous rock often with visible grains of quartz, feldspar and mica.
• Weathered Face Exposed: Granite with weathered face occasionally exposed to provide a more variable appearance.

Granite revetment in Geographe Bay with weathered face hidden (left) and stockpile of granite showing weathered face of rock with brown colour (right).

Granite Outcrops

Three granite outcrops are proposed along the Vincent Street foreshore.

These outcrops will be built into our current, natural outcrops at three locations at about 100m intervals. These outcrops seek to be natural looking features rather than groynes and will be of similar scale and layout to smaller outcrops to the north of the site (see images below). The proposal suggests sourcing weathered granite to match the existing Leeuwin Naturalise ridge.

These rocky areas allow more sand to be held at the beach. This 'caught sand' will create a more uneven shoreline with rises, dips and undulations. This irregular shape slows the waves along the shoreline, further reducing the amount of sand that's washed away by waves and keeping the beach stronger over time.

The options are:

• Local Granite Outcrops: Local granite outcrops to provide moderate protection of the beach
• No Local Granite Outcrops: Leave the outcrops as they occur naturally

Vincent St Foreshore – Existing Low Outcrops of Beach Rock. Proposed outcrops will ‘enhance’ these natural features.