Shark Rock Pier is a relatively new feature of the PE coastline. Construction of the 137m long reinforced concrete pier was started in 1988, to save on of our main beaches from erosion. In common with many coastal spots (the same is happening in St Francis Bay to an alarming extent) a combination of the stabilisation of mobile dune fields in the city by alien Port Jackson Willows, together with the construction of buildings and roads, cuts the feed of sand to the beaches. Wave action then scours the existing sand away, and as it is no longer replaced, the beach eventually erodes away.
When we got here in 1978, Hobie Beach was a wide expanse of sand with rocks behind it along the pathway. In fact it was the first beach we went to when we got here, and here are pictures taken in March 1978, of Max and our first dog Cindy having a swim there, as well as a view towards the harbour, of the spot where the Pier now stands.
By the mid 80s it had been eroded to a narrow rocky strip with barely any beach. The Pier has changed all that, and not even a decade later, Hobie Beach is a magnificent sweep of sand. As you see in the main picture, just a suggestion of the underlying rocks now remains.
I love the look and the size of the pier. So happy it's doing a good job!!
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