NSW residents fear homes could be lost to sea in next storm

The dune that protects houses from the ocean swell at Surfside is being eroded. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) Residents fear their homes at Surfside Beach on the NSW far south coast are at risk of being inundated if another strong storm destroys the protective sand dune. They say a formal meeting of local and state government representatives promised last month was never held. The local MP says he has "proactively escalated the concerns of Surfside residents to relevant authorities". Link copiedShareShare articleJason and Ange Ford have a view many people could only dream of, but looking out across the water from their home at Surfside Beach on the NSW South Coast is no longer relaxing. "You're just lying there day after day, waiting for your home to fall into the ocean," Ms Ford said. "We don't have insurance on our home, which will cover tidal inundation, so we could be left with nothing at retirement." The Fords live on a road that is separated from the ocean by a single sand dune. Trees along Surfside Beach in May 2026 lay exposed, battered by the ocean. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) Although Surfside Beach is on the northern edge of Batemans Bay, it is vulnerable to large south-east swells, such as those that gouged sand from the area in April 2025 and March this year. "We have been raising this issue, lobbying for years, and it almost seems like it's been two steps forward, two steps back, because nothing happens," Mr Ford said. "It's really important that we get [something] done soon, because at the moment there are a lot of houses along that stretch of beach which have little to no protection." Residents Ange Ford, Jason Ford and Rosemary Deadman after the meeting in April 2026. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) It has been one month since Bega MP Michael Holland travelled to Surfside to meet with up to 40 concerned residents. Residents say they were assured a meeting between the local council, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW), and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) would take place the following Monday to discuss the issue. However, the ABC understands that no formal meeting was held. Bega MP Michael Holland met with Surfside residents in April. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) Dr Holland's office said in a statement that he "proactively escalated the concerns of Surfside residents to relevant authorities and is involved in, and is encouraging, ongoing discussions." A statement from the Eurobodalla Shire Council said "no council staff were invited to a meeting on Monday 13 April," while a spokesperson for TfNSW told the ABC they did not attend a meeting, and DCCEEW said no formal meeting was held. Surfside resident Craig Lyttle said the back-and-forth had left the community confused. Surfside resident Craig Lyttle at his house, after sand scraping was done in September 2025. (ABC South East NSW: Jacinta Counihan) "There's no indication at all that there's any meeting that's going to happen or any meeting that's got Surfside in the agenda," he said. "We just want a way forward, and we need something to be done here urgently because the next weather event will inundate our houses again." Just over a year ago, a large swell washed over the dune and into several yards and homes. The back of Craig Lyttle's home in April 2025, when a large storm hit the far south coast. (Supplied: Craig Lyttle) Emergency works were completed by the Eurobodalla Shire Council in September 2025, which involved pushing sand from the beach bottom to rebuild the dune. Hundreds of plants were planted to help stabilise it. But on March 27 this year, a powerful storm hit the region, scouring much of the dune and leaving the houses vulnerable once again. Surfside residents gathered on April 10, 2026, to raise their concerns about coastal erosion with the local state government member. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) In a statement, the Eurobodalla Shire Council said sand scraping was a temporary emergency measure that was "assessed and permitted by other agencies before it can proceed". It said the "latest beach scraping [September 2025] was not a declared emergency, but the NSW Government agreed to the work, which required 50 per cent funding by council". "Council will continue to investigate avenues for further beach scraping, giving residents time to undertake coastal protection of their own properties, and regularly seek NSW government commitment to continued dredging and sand renourishment of the beach close to shore." Sandbags protects a home on Surfside Beach in May 2026. (ABC NSW South East: Jacinta Counihan) The Eurobodalla Open Coastal Management Plan (CMP), adopted by the council in 2022, outlined a number of options to manage erosion risk over a 10-year period. An option suggested for Surfside Beach was sand nourishment during channel dredging in the Clyde River. In October 2025, Transport for NSW condu

NSW residents fear homes could be lost to sea in next storm

Key takeaways

More in international