Erosion issue reaches tipping point

PHOTO: Alan and Deen McKay have been battling the council over the road and adjacent dump site for about seven years. Photo: LDR / Matthew Rosenberg

In sleepy Colac Bay/Ōraka, a battle is brewing behind the veneer of perfect waves and endless summers.

A view of Colac Bay/Ōraka. Photo: LDR / Matthew Rosenberg

The popular holiday destination, home to about 60 permanent residents, is protected from the Southern Ocean by a sprawling rock wall.

But the sea is rising up to meet the town that faces Foveaux Strait.

Fearful an old dump could be exposed where the rocks give way to loose shingle, residents Alan and Deen McKay are leading the charge against a council they claim is not interested.

“We want what the residents of Colac Bay deserve,” Deen McKay said.

“That they can go to sleep at night and know the sea isn’t going to meet them at the door.”

The McKays’ battle began about seven years ago, but escalated following a storm in September which they said washed away a significant portion of the closed coastal road.