Topics: beach, beachfront, erosion, mackay, region

THERE are no long-term solutions to stop beaches in the Mackay region from eroding any further.

Installing rock walls was too expensive and required approval from higher levels of government, so all Mackay Regional Council could do now was make beaches as safe as possible, community and client services director Gerard Carlyon said.

Of the region's 31 beaches, Mr Carlyon said all of them had been damaged in some way during last week's cyclone and king tides.

McEwens, Lamberts, Half Tide and Midge Point beaches were the worst hit.

Emergency work is being carried out at Half Tide Beach after land was completely washed away from under a concrete walkway.

Mr Carlyon said an excavator was on site replacing rock underneath it and pumping sand into cavities to make it safe.

At Lamberts Beach, land has been completely washed away right up to the lifeguard tower, leaving it and a toilet block dangerously close to a sand-cliff face. A council spokesman said they were looking to engage a geo-technician to examine the site and assess its stability before they would consider moving the tower.

Mr Carlyon said it was hard to consider long-term plans because coastal erosion was something that affected the entire coastline.

"My plan at the moment is to make areas safe," he said.

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Council has no easy fix for beachfront erosion