When parts of Angels Beach access ramp reached the end of its serviceable life as a timber structure, the community of East Ballina in New South Wales got behind Council and rolled up their sleeves to assist with the revamp.
Angels Beach is a long stretch of beach between Flat Rock and Black Head, bordered by steep sand dunes covered in natural vegetation and accessible by an access ramp originally installed more than 22-years ago by Beachfront Parade Dunecare Group and funded through the federal government with some materials contributed by Ballina Shire Council and local businesses.
Spokesman for community organisation Beachfront Parade Dunecare Group, David Fuller said it was a whole of community effort to construct the beach access 22 years ago and it would be a whole of community effort to revamp the old timber structure with new modern materials.
“The Angels Beach Access Ramp was built by local community group Beachfront Parade Dunecare in 2002 in conjunction with Coastcare; what was then the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation and Ballina Shire Council,” David Fuller said.
“At the time the materials cost around $26,500 and were funded through the Federal Government’s National Heritage Trust,” Mr Fuller said.
“The ramp was originally designed to provide disabled access to the beach and to remove human access to the fragile dune system preventing damage and erosion and ensuring stabilisation of the underlying dune system,” he said.
Pictured – the entrance to Angels Beach via a ramp access.
But after 22 years of service to the local community and tourists, parts of the timber structure had reached the end of their serviceable life and required replacement.
“Angels Beach access ramp required urgent attention of the severely weathered timber handrails and decking and the galvanised bolts and screws due to the inevitable corrosion over the last twenty-two years,” David Fuller said.
“It’s a really important structure to the community; in the most recent floods, the Angels Beach access ramp was the only access not cut off by the extensive flooding that blocked or washed away many of the areas dunes; I know this to be accurate as I was one of the many local resident volunteers using the ramp to access the beach to clean up and remove litter from Angels Beach,” Mr Fuller said.
“It’s an enormous attraction for the Ballina area, adding another dimension to the local amenities and playing an important role in nature tourism with its viewing platform for sightseeing and surfers eyeing off waves, or whale and bird watching; not to mention the odd wedding photography and its connection to the Coastal Recreational Path,” he said.
“The ramp also plays a very significant role in protecting the dunes and natural vegetation from damage caused by people walking up and down over the fragile ecosystem; which would inevitably lead to erosion and the destabilisation of the underlying dune structure; so the community believed very strongly that repairing the structure was critical.”
Pictured – The ramp access to the beach features a viewing platform which is favoured by locals and tourists watching for whales and birds.
East Ballina is a favoured location for retirees and as such almost 30% of the community is over 65 years of age.
“Imagine yourself as an older person who loves going to the beach each day, sometimes with a boogie board; then one day you only just make it back up the rough board and chain beach access. Sadly for a lot of elderly people they just accept that the beach access is too steep, unlevel and much too risky to access any longer,” David Fuller said.
“And for one of our local senior residents Grace Anderson who lived just behind what is now the access ramp, she overcame the problem of being able to access the beach by driving to the next subdivision, parking her car and walking across the overpass to still be able to get her time on the beach,” Mr Fuller said.
“It just wasn’t good enough; and it was that desire to ensure that everyone in the community could access the beach that drove the construction of the ramp in the first place. Now, 22 years on, it’s the same motivation that’s driving the repairs of this very important community structure,” he said.
Pictured – Upgrades include a new Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) mesh decking which will not rot, rust or corrode in the highly corrosive marine environment.
The decking of the beach access was replaced along with rotted joists and bearers with works organised by Ballina Shire Council and completed by local contractors B&S Landscaping along with an army of local skilled volunteers.
“Extensive maintenance and renovation works were undertaken by original members of the Beachfront Parade Dunecare Group, and newer residents to the area throughout 2023 and 2024 alongside B&S Landscaping, Better Hire, Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT), Barlows of Ballina, Sly Bros Frames & Trusses and Ballina Shire Council,” David Fuller said.
“Completion of the extensive renovation and repair works will ensure that the Angels Beach access ramp will continue to be one of the most important and widely used community assets in the Ballina/Lennox Head area,” Mr Fuller said.
A Ballina Shire Council spokesperson said it was very unusual to have a professional carpentry group partner with a contractor to do a job like this on behalf of Council, however it was a pleasure to see that partnership and the success of the restoration.
The decking, joists and several bearers of the old timber structure were replaced with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) profiles manufactured in Australia by Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies (CFT).
Wagners CFT Business Development Manager, Ken Robinson said the modern building material was far better suited to the beach environment than the original timber structure.
“FRP will certainly outperform the timber in this environment because it won’t rot, rust or corrode and is resistant to acid sulfate soils, termites and marine borers,” Ken Robinson said.
“There’s also significantly reduced need for ongoing maintenance so Ballina Shire Council will see the benefits of choosing FRP on their ongoing maintenance budget and medium term capital expenses as well,” Mr Robinson said.
“FRP is non-leaching and non-toxic and as this is a sensitive environment it’s really important to ensure that there’s no nasty chemicals or issues caused for the local marine environment and plants and animals that live in the dunes,” he said.
Pictured – FRP joists and bearers support the new RP mesh decking on the Angels Beach ramp access.
Those involved in the repairs now look forward to seeing the structure enjoyed by the local community and visitors to the area for decades to come.
“The Beachfront Parade Dunecare Group has been very supportive of Council’s decision to renew the structure with Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) profiles and decking which we’re told is resistant to corrosion and should last 50-years,” David Fuller said.
“We’re thrilled that everyone will be able to continue enjoying this beautiful part of the world because of those repairs to the structure and on behalf of the community I want to thank those residents, contractors, suppliers and Council for the help and support to complete the project to the highest quality of craftsmanship; we can all be proud of this result and the feedback from the greater community has been extremely positive.”
David Fuller and the Beachfront Parade Dunecare Group would like to thank current and past Councillors of Ballina Shire Council (BSC) for their work towards the establishment of the beach access, its ongoing maintenance and for recent upgrades including Cr Steve McCarthy, Cr Nigel Buchanan, Cr Eva Ramsey, BSC General Manager Paul Hickey, BSC Natural Resources Officer James Brideson, BSC Team Leader of Building Services Jason Morris, and BSC Concrete Construction & Drainage Team Leader Robbie Hunter.
For more information on Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies pedestrian infrastructure solutions visit https://www.wagnerscft.com.au/solutions/pedestrian-infrastructure/
