Third and final seawall finished in Port Hedland to protect town’s coast from erosion

A multi-million-dollar to shield the Hedland coast from devastating erosion has been completed. The Town of Port Hedland’s seawall project — made up of 79,155 tonnes of rock — was finished earlier this month with construction completed on the Goode Street seawall. The other seawalls were built at West End and Sutherland Street, with the total project costing $17.8 million. Port Hedland Mayor Peter Carter said the seawalls would reduce the impacts of cyclones and coastal erosion, protecting the shore for future generations. “These seawalls will help protect our unique flora and fauna, including flatback turtle nesting sites,” Mr Carter said. “They will also help protect residential properties and other infrastructure from future extreme weather events.” The completion of the project comes more than three years since the town council voted to approve it after identifying the three locations as being susceptible to coastal erosion and flooding. “It has been a huge project and I thank residents for their patience during the construction periods,” Mr Carter said. “The Town’s vision is to build a thriving, resilient and inclusive future for our diverse community and projects like this help increase liveability and preserve our environment.” Hedland locals must still be careful of holes at the base of the Sutherland seawall, which are created by the natural shifting of sand. The holes are expected to get smaller and less dangerous over time.