> Coasts

The $190 million strategy to protect and restore Adelaide's beaches

From 2027, the South Australian Government will roll out a new long-term replenishment program to protect Adelaide’s beaches by moving/recycling sand from where it naturally builds up to where it’s being lost.

The sand replenishment program is estimated to cost $190 million over 20 years. Nearly $56 million over five years was allocated in the 2026-27 State Budget towards this significant investment, which will include:

One-off mass restoration at West Beach: From 2027, once-off mass restoration will see approximately 400,000 cubic metres of sand (about 160 Olympic-size swimming pools) delivered over two years to restore West Beach.
Ongoing annual replenishment across Adelaide’s metropolitan beaches: From 2027, an annual replenishment will return an estimated 90,000 cubic metres of sand each year to Adelaide’s central beaches where it is needed, including West Beach, guided by ongoing beach monitoring.

No trucks will be on beaches as part of the replenishment program.

2026 beach management operations

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has approved a licence for dredging operations to proceed in 2026 in accordance with an approved Dredge Management Plan.

The operation commenced in September 2026 and involves up to 90,000 cubic metres of sand being collected from a nearshore area just south of North Haven Marina breakwater and placed at West Beach and Henley Beach South.

The 2026 operation is an important step in preparing for implementation of the long-term beach replenishment program from 2027.

Click here for latest update on beach works.

All dredging activities will be regulated by the EPA and undertaken in accordance with EPA licence conditions and approved management plans.

The project includes comprehensive environmental management and monitoring requirements, supported by:

A Dredge Management Plan
A Water Quality Monitoring Plan
A Seagrass Monitoring Plan
A Noise Monitoring Plan

Monitoring undertaken during the 2024 dredging trial found water quality remained within EPA trigger and alarm thresholds throughout operations and identified no direct impacts to seagrass attributable to dredging or sand placement activities. Information gathered through the trial has informed the design, operational planning and environmental management measures for the 2026 dredging program.

Why restoring West Beach is a priority

The Adelaide Beach Management Review confirmed that West Beach needs urgent intervention. It identified the need for a large, once-off sand placement to rebuild the beach, followed by smaller, ongoing top-ups each year to keep it stable.

The $190 million strategy to protect and restore Adelaide's beaches — Shoreline predictions - West Beach looking north

On average, West Beach loses around 90,000 cubic metres of sand each year — roughly the equivalent of 40 Olympic-size swimming pools. Without replacing this sand, the beach continues to narrow and erosion worsens over time.

Why sand is lost from some beaches

Beaches naturally change over time. Waves, wind and storms move sand along the coast.

Along Adelaide’s metropolitan coastline sand slowly moves from south to north, known as the northward drift. As a result, northern beaches gain sand, while central beaches lose it.

Also, major infrastructure such as West Beach Boat Harbour prevents the accumulation of sand on beaches immediately to the north, meaning less natural restoration and relatively increased loss of sand.

The problem we’re facing

When lost sand is not replaced beaches continue to narrow, erosion increases and protection for roads, buildings and beach facilities is reduced.

Over time, erosion can extend to neighbouring beaches, making future management more difficult and costly.

This is why the Adelaide Beach Management Review showed that West Beach and Henley Beach South need to be restored with up to 550,000 cubic metres of sand.

Evidence and assessment behind this approach

For decades, the State Government has:

Studied how sand moves along Adelaide’s coast.
Tested different sand placement methods, including a 2024 dredging trial.
Talked with the community.
Reviewed long-term costs and impacts.

Different options for managing sand between the northern and central beaches were carefully considered as part of the Adelaide Beach Management Review. You can read a summary of the findings on the review webpage.

Extended sand pipelines were found to be the most expensive and least flexible option, with the potential to cause long-term disruption to beach users.

Using trucks was ruled out as a long-term solution due to noise, traffic, road damage and environmental impacts. Trucking is unpopular with local communities and requires approximately 80 road trucks per day dropping sand on West Beach from 7am to 5pm, five days a week (avoiding weekends and school holidays) between February and December.

Dredging provides the best balance of cost, flexibility, safety and environmental care.

How dredging works

Dredging is one of the most commonly used sand management methods around the world, with working examples in the Netherlands, Singapore and the United States, and closer to home in Port Phillip Bay (Victoria), Busselton (Western Australia), the Tweed River and Gold Coast (Queensland), and the Murray Mouth (South Australia).

Dredging means using a special boat, called a dredge, to collect sand carefully from areas where it naturally builds up on the seabed, and move that sand to beaches that need it.

This approach reuses sand that is already part of the coastal system and avoids removing sand from land or sensitive areas. The exact sand placement locations will be confirmed once detailed plans are finalised.

How sand will be sourced

One-off mass restoration at West Beach

Sand will be collected from north of the Outer Harbor channel breakwater.

Ongoing annual replenishment of Adelaide’s metropolitan beaches

Sand will be safely and sustainably collected from four on-water locations between the Torrens Outlet and Largs North including:

Largs North
Semaphore
Between Grange and Tennyson
The Torrens Outlet

Review

The replenishment program will be reviewed after 5 and 10 years of operation to check how well the beaches are recovering and whether changes are needed for the future.