Central Coast Council has received $2,443,750 from the Australian and NSW Governments as part of the Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program to improve access for Soldiers Beach and Jenny Dixon Beach.

The works will replace or repair vehicle and pedestrian accesses that were damaged during the severe storms in 2021 and 2022, including:

• Extension of the stairs in front of the Soldiers Beach Surf Life Saving Club
• Replacement of the northern stairs at Soldiers Beach
• Replacement of the concrete vehicle access ramp at Soldiers Beach
• Repair of the Jenny Dixon Beach stairs

Each of the four projects required detailed preliminary investigation work, designs, and approvals to ensure longevity before shovels could hit the ground.

Soldiers Beach access works

COMPLETE: Extension of the stairs in front of the Soldiers Beach Surf Life Saving Club

Soldiers Beach stairs in front of the Surf Life Saving Club has recently undergone works to enhance access with a new and improved stair extension - and the stairs opened for use in August 2023.

This was the first of the four projects to be completed.

While the stairs were still safe for the public to use, the funding from the Australian and NSW Governments allowed us to enhance the integrity and improve beach access with the stair extension.

The improved access also exhibits a new landing which extends to the left and the right to directly lead the public towards the varying location of beach safety flags in the summer season.

UNDERWAY: Replacements of the Northern Stairs and Vehicle Access Ramp 

The construction for the replacement of Soldiers Beach northern stairs and vehicle access ramp commenced on 29 April and is expected to be complete by the end of 2024, subject to weather.

Replacement of the northern stairs and the vehicle access ramp have been long awaited. Soldiers Beach is a very popular location for visitors and locals alike and completion of these works is planned to bring full access back to the beach just before the next beach season. In this last project, the new vehicle access ramp will be an almost like-for-like replacement of the existing partially demolished concrete ramp, however the new ramp will be slightly steeper and will include deep piled foundations to support resilience to large waves and storm events.

The new northern stairs will be located east of the previous set of stairs which have been demolished. The new stairs will extend from the car park adjacent to the headland at the northern end of the beach, providing more direct access from the car park onto the beach. Some locals may remember that the older concrete stairs replaced around 2008 were in this same location. The new stairs will essentially be a combination of concrete and aluminium truss construction and will include anchors into the rock platform, making the stairs more resilient to extreme weather events.  The stairs will meet appropriate current design standards and better serve our community.

Small sections at the entry of the ramp and stairs will be closed off during the works period, to provide direct access for construction vehicles, site sheds and materials storage. The majority of the northern car park and the remainder of the grassed reserve area adjacent to the surf club will remain open for public access.

The vehicle access ramp was completed and opened to the public on 3 October 2024. Council staff will establish native dune vegetation in some of the exposed sand areas adjacent to the newly constructed ramp to help stabilise the dune.

Image: New vehicle access ramp at Soldiers Beach SLSC

Jenny Dixon Beach stair repair

COMPLETE:

The construction for the repair of Jenny Dixon Beach stairs was completed 23 July 2024. 

The Jenny Dixon Beach stair repair is an almost like-for-like restoration, ensuring the repaired and replaced sections are in the best possible shape to withstand future weather events.

There are some changes to the original structure, such as a different alignment of the bottom flight of stairs. This change will reduce the exposure of the structure to ocean impacts and provide for an easier way to alight the stairs onto the beach for beach users.

For more information, see media release: Jenny Dixon Beach stair repair is complete! | Central Coast Council (nsw.gov.au)

Image: New stairs at Jenny Dixon Beach 

Advice:

• Please stay away from the impacted area
• Please keep personal safety front of mind and remain behind any barriers that Council crews or contractors have put in place
• Stay up-to-date by checking Council’s website or Facebook page updates