Our Beaches Need Help Again!
- 25th May 2026
- Community Updates
- 7 min read
Community residents rally once again as powerful swell events expose more tyres, damage beach accesses & reshape sections of the Suffolk Park coastline.
In recent times, Suffolk Park’s coastline has experienced significant erosion, damaged beach accesses, exposed dunes & growing environmental concerns following Cyclone Alfred & a series of powerful swell events.
Last weekend, the ocean struck again.
Heavy seas battered large sections of the coastline, stripping away more sand, exposing fresh dune erosion & revealing dozens more old tyres along sections of the dunes along Tallow Beach.
ABC North Coast reported Suffolk Park among the hardest hit areas in Byron Shire following the latest massive swell.
In some locations, recently repaired beach accesses have once again deteriorated, while steep dune escarpments continue forming along sections of the coastline.
Yesterday, SPCA President, Kelly, together with Environmental Subcommittee lead, Vanessa, joined several local residents on the beach to begin removing tyres before they could be dragged further into the marine environment during future swell events.
As Kelly described after yesterday's efforts:
“As the waves belted the dunes & truck tyres full of sand got swept into the sea, a few souls gathered, united for a good cause & pulled more than 20 tyres off the beach that were destined to float into the Cape Byron Marine Park.”
Yet despite the huge efforts already made by both Council crews & volunteers in recent months, the scale of the erosion challenge is becoming increasingly visible.
Right now, the weather is winning.
Dozens of tyres are now exposed following the latest erosion event.
But these problems are not new.
Community Voices Have Been Raising Concerns For Some Time
Long before the latest swell damage, Suffolk Park residents had already been identifying concerns around beach access, dune protection & coastal resilience through SPCA’s recent village-wide infrastructure & masterplanning consultation process.
Residents spoke strongly about deteriorating beach accesses, erosion impacts, poor drainage, unsafe pathways & the long-term protection of the coastline. Residents told us:
These concerns were formally documented through SPCA’s community consultation process & submitted to Byron Shire Council as part of broader advocacy around local infrastructure priorities.
Council Repairs & Ongoing Challenges
Following Cyclone Alfred & more recent weather events, Byron Shire Council undertook repair works across several Suffolk Park beach access points affected by erosion & storm damage.
Beach accesses were re-established in a number of locations, while dune recovery & coastal management works continued across parts of the Shire.
As BSC's Acting Manager of Open Spaces & Facilities Jim Roberts wrote to SPCA following repair works last month:
“I believe you sent through to Council and highlighted this.”
Mayor Sarah Ndiaye also thanked local residents earlier this year for
“being our eyes & ears”
as Council responded to widespread weather damage across the region.
But the latest swell event demonstrates the ongoing challenge facing coastal communities across the Northern Rivers as erosion events become more frequent & severe.
Hear The Latest Community Update
27th May 2026 - SPCA President Kelly Minahan spoke on local radio about the ongoing coastal erosion events affecting Suffolk Park, including newly exposed tyres along Tallow Beach, damaged dune systems & the growing community response.
The Tyres in the Dunes
One unexpected issue that captured widespread local attention in recent months was the discovery of the old tyres emerging from eroded dunes along Tallow Beach.
What began as a simple Facebook post quickly sparked community discussion, concern & ultimately direct action.
Residents rallied together to help remove exposed tyres before they could wash further into the ocean.
The informal effort brought together locals, environmental advocates, Council staff & broader conversations around dune care, coastal erosion & environmental stewardship.
It also demonstrated just how deeply many people in Suffolk Park care about the future of our coastline.
Community Collaboration Growing
As conversations around our beaches continued, SPCA established the Environmental Subcommittee to help provide a direct community branch focused on these issues & other environmental priorities within the village.
The subcommittee brings together a diverse mix of local experience, environmental knowledge & community leadership, including a former SPCA President, two former Northern Rivers Mayors, Suffolk Park Community Garden committee members, local environmental advocates & residents passionate about protecting Suffolk Park’s natural spaces.
The goal is to help connect community concerns with practical environmental action, while strengthening collaboration between residents, volunteers, environmental groups & Council staff, where appropriate.
Following discussions around dune erosion last month, SPCA Secretary Hayley Devlin noted in an email to Rebekah O’Flaherty, Suffolk Park's Land & Dune Care coordinator:
“Collective wisdom & pooled resources, where appropriate, may lead to better outcomes for our beloved beaches.”
This type of collaborative approach increasingly reflects what many residents are asking for: less fragmentation, more cooperation & stronger community-led stewardship of Suffolk Park’s environment into the future.
Looking After What We Love
Suffolk Park’s beaches are more than just coastline.
They are where kids learn to surf, where people walk their dogs at sunrise, where families gather, where visitors fall in love with the area & where locals reconnect with nature every single day.
Protecting these spaces will require ongoing collaboration between community, Council, environmental groups & volunteers.
Several residents had already suggested the idea of regular beach clean-up mornings or ongoing events to help care for the coastline collectively.
But recent months have also shown what’s possible when people get involved.
One conversation.
One email.
One working bee.
One community effort at a time.
A Community Beach Clean-Up?
Following the latest erosion, concerned residents are suggesting more coordinated community beach clean-up & dune support initiatives moving forward.
Ideas already being discussed include:
No formal activities will occur without appropriate safety considerations, environmental guidance & coordination where required.
But what’s already becoming clear is that many people in Suffolk Park want to help.
Because right now, the tyres are still there.
More are emerging from the dunes after each major swell event. More are washing toward the ocean.
Despite the huge efforts already made by volunteers & Council crews, the scale of the problem is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Yet over the past 24 hours, local residents once again turned up.
Not because they were asked to.
Not because there was funding.
Not because there was a formal program.
But because they care deeply about this place.
Perhaps that’s the real story unfolding along Suffolk Park’s coastline right now: not simply erosion, but a growing sense of shared responsibility for protecting the places we love.
If you would like to be involved in beach clean-ups, dune recovery efforts or environmental volunteering initiatives, please get in touch. Discussions continue around possible community action in the days & weeks ahead & we welcome all efforts to get involved.
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