Collaroy-Narrabeen Coastal Monitoring

Client: Warringah Council
Year: 2004-2008
WRL Technical Report: System Description Analysis of Shoreline Variability and Erosion/Accretion Trends: July 2004-June 2005, Report 1 (2005/24)
Collaroy-Narrabeen Coastal imaging System, Report No. 2 (2006/21) Collaroy-Narrabeen Coastal Imaging Report #3 (2007/30)

Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach is located 16 km north of Sydney’s CBD, within the Warringah Council Local Government Area. The beach is characterised by having the most intense and highly capitalised shoreline development in Warringah. Development along the beach is also classified as the third most at risk nationally from coastal processes. Several processes cause movement of sand within the Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach system. These include natural processes such as longshore movement of sediment, offshore movement of sediment into deeper water by wave action, and lagoon infilling by wave and tidal action, as well as human activities such as Narrabeen Lagoon entrance clearance works.

Between July 2004 and January 2008 the Water Research Laboratory assisted Warringah Council by providing quantitative and independent monitoring of coastal processes at Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach. Five ARGUS cameras were installed on the roof of a beach-front building at approximately 50 m above sea level. Images collected hourly by these cameras were processed, resulting in high-frequency, quality-controlled information about shoreline changes on the beach.