Meridian Resort manager Paul Burton surveys the latest damage to the beachfront. Photo by Carl Muxlow.
ABSOLUTELY terrifying.
There's no other way to describe the feeling, standing on top of an eight-metre high almost sheer cliff face - of unstable sand.
It's like leaning over the balcony of a three-storey building... except there's no terra firma underneath, and no railing for protection.
Below, metre-high waves relentlessly pound across a flat rock-strewn beach, to crash into what's left of the base of the dune. At any moment, another chunk of the cliff might crash into the sea.
With every wave, more sand disappears. As more sand goes from the base, chunks of what was once the grassed lawn of a multi-million dollar resort fall into the ocean.
On the unstable edge of an Old Bar beachfront resort's lawn, Meridian manager Paul Burton and his team were yesterday working frantically to move the safety fence back a few metres - yet again.
Southerly winds and big seas at the weekend gouged even more of the Old Bar beachfront away. It was low tide yesterday morning when we visited, and the swell had abated, but still it was terrifying.
And despite all the public concerns... all the stories written and the photos taken as graphic evidence... Mr Burton's and other resort residents' calls to the NSW Coastal Panel were not being returned.
They want to know how long it will be before they get a decision on their estimated one million dollar development application to build a protective wall across their beach frontage, to slow down the relentless wave and wind action gouging away at their grounds.
Twenty-five metres of beachfront have disappeared in front of Meridian's 41 apartments in 12 years - which equates to 2500 square metres. Once landscaped lawns, it's fallen into the sea. Only 26 metres of ground now remain between the fragile clifftop and the resort's frontline apartments.
Previous protection works including jute matting installed at the base of the cliff three years ago lasted two years. "It worked for two years but finally fell in to the king tides of last June," Mr Burton says. "We managed to get new matting in before the August king tides, and that lasted just two or three days. Each time at a cost of about $10,000."
We're now approaching the new year of king tides, with some in June reaching two metres, and the proposed protection works can't be carried out before then.
Meridian's owners' corporation current attempt at protection is much more expensive than the last. It will involve a 'soft seawall' - a series of sand-filled geofabric bags angled from sea level up to a height of six or seven metres. The proposal involves not only the Meridian beachfront but also a number of residences on either side, where the sea is taking a similar toll. ('On cliff's edge' - page 1, MRT Wednesday March 6).
"Greater Taree City Council's attitude six or seven years ago was 'Don't even think about a seawall'," Mr Burton says.
Then NSW planing laws changed and council suggested Meridian lodge a development application for protection works. The owners' corporation employed a reputable firm, International Coastal Management, to draw up plans.
"Everything council wanted us to do, we did. Council wanted changes, and we changed it. Literally hours before International Coastal Management submitted the DA, there was a phone call from council saying they were not the authority... that we needed to submit it to the NSW Coastal Panel."
Since that time - last April - "council has left us alone ... not one phone call even, to see how we are going," Mr Burton says.
"It would be nice if they showed a little compassion... if they could talk to the Coastal Panel and give us an indication of what is happening. It's upsetting, as everyone here pays rates and we'd expect council to go in to bat for us."
Meridian's development application has now had two public submission periods due to an amendment that was needed.
It's now almost four weeks since the latest public submission period closed, and there's still no decision been given to the applicants.
Calls made to a contact person at the NSW Coastal Panel are not being returned, owners say.
Meridian's building replacement value is $16 million, its true value estimated at between $20 million and $30 million.
Secretary of the executive committee for the owners' corporation, Greg Barrass, said the majority of owners of the 41 apartments bought them as investment properties, but have watched helplessly as not only the beachfront but also their property values have been eroded.
"The owners are very concerned that the process of seeking approval for protection works is taking such a long period of time. They've asked to hold an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the issue.
"We are all very disturbed at this latest weather event of the last week or so, which has seen more of the bank collapse.
"Even if we were to get approval tomorrow, there's no way protection work could be undertaken over the winter months, as we can't get access to the beach. September or October is our next window of opportunity when the tides are smaller.
"Who knows how much more of our land will have disappeared by then?"