i heard it's gone, can someone confirm please

On Landgates web site (which i use at work) you can view the aerial photography over the years and see how much it changes.
Quite amazing.

Tiddlywinks, you need a logon and account to see the archival aerials unless you purchase them.
Here's Landgates link.
www0.landgate.wa.gov.au/
Go to Products and Services, Imagery.

Here'sa 2001 & 2008 comparison.

Cheers M8

Some interesting reading especially Ben Hollins theses.

As a long time resident of Safety Bay and windsurfer, I keep an eye on the sandbar and its movement (albeit nature doing what nature does).

The sandbar did used to be an island that was approx 400-500m offshore and approx in line with the yacht club reaching outwards into the bay. Then over the course the late 80's and 90's the sandbar moved both inwards and eastwards. The sandbar then joined the coast at the end of Waimea Rd in the ~ late 90's. In the first few years the sandbar used to break through in big winter storms although now it seems set in place.

There has been a lot of conjecture about what has caused the movement of the sandbar by both locals and researchers.

It seems that the sandbar suits both windsurfers/kitesurfers and fishermen in both boats and shore at present. The unfortunate thing is that it will probably keep moving and may make conditions worse for all concerned.

grumplestiltskin said...

having casually observed the bar for many years, I reckon there is probably about 5 years tops before the "pond" as we currently know it is gone or filled in completely.

In the thesis, it suggests that the western most sandbar will keep building up on the western side, but not on the eastern side (I think). If this is true, then the pond should remain pretty much as it is, but the western side should build up even more. I think it also suggests that this formation may happen in cycles based on NW storm activity over the years.

Does anyone sail on that western side? If not, is there a problem with it? I know a few years ago the kiters were encouraged to keep to that side, but that seems to have gone out the window.

Wouldn't it be great if nature ended up with two ponds there...