RESIDENTS living near the Adbri sand quarry off Diamond Head Road say the site’s expansion has left a section of the dunes on Dunbogan Beach in danger of collapse.
Their fears have been supported by a marine science expert and are being followed-up by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and the Member for Port Macquarie Robert Dwyer.
Photos of the dunes bordering the quarry’s dredge pond have been provided to News Of The Area.
They show what appears to be a deep undercutting of the dune wall, the partial collapse of some sections, and vegetation ripped from the top of the dune.
The damage is compounded by natural erosion on the beach side, with the access track at the end of Beach Street recently washed away in heavy seas.
“We used to be able to walk onto the beach from the Beach Street carpark but now it’s just a sheer drop,” resident Peter McKid said.
“The erosion is worse along the dunes that border the dredge pond. There’s got to be some connection there.”
The dunes form a natural kilometre-long barrier between the dredge pond and the ocean.
In some places, they are just 30 metres wide.
Another local, Peter Johnson, said; “We have expert advice that indicates the dunes are narrow and potentially vulnerable to breach – we fear that this erosion could push us closer to such a breach.”
The state of the dunes has added to concerns about the mine’s operations and the Council-approved expansion of the quarry, which is operated by AdBri Northern NSW Pty Ltd.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council granted Adbri approval to extract an additional 249,990 tonnes of sand from nearly a hectare expansion of the dredge pond.
In the lead-up to the expansion’s approval, residents asked the former head of the Institute of Marine Sciences at Sydney University, Dr Peter Cowell, to review the risks.
Dr Cowell told them that if the dunes collapsed and sea water entered the dredge pond, the increased salinity would pose a significant risk to adjacent wetlands and key environmental zones.
“More worrying, Dr Cowell advised that if a dune collapses, the massive dredge pond could act ‘like a vortex and suck in the northerly drift of sand that replenishes the dunes protecting beaches north of the quarry’,” Mr Johnson said
Since January 2025, Dr Cowell and residents have been urging Council to seek an assessment of dune stability and associated coastal risks by specialists in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Council replied that the matters remain under review.
“In addition, the concerns you have raised regarding dune erosion have now been referred to Council’s Coast and Estuary Coordinator for specialist assessment,” residents were told.
After inspecting the erosion, MP Robert Dwyer wrote to the NSW Environment Minister asking for support from the DCCEEW team.
“The Dunbogan area forms part of a sensitive coastal environment adjoining Crowdy Bay National Park, and it is essential that any risks are properly understood and managed,” Mr Dwyer said.
News Of The Area has contacted AdBri for comment.
By Sue STEPHENSON
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