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Horseshoe Bay Seawall

Published 1st October 2026
Temporary protection measures

Temporary protection works for seawall at Horseshoe Bay

Following two significant winter rainfall events, the seawall at Horseshoe Bay at Port Elliot has deteriorated and failed in some sections, posing a risk to community safety.

After the initial rain event, Council arranged an engineering assessment and implemented controls to manage the immediate public risk.  A subsequent significant rainfall event resulted in further deterioration and wall collapse, requiring the site response and engineering advice to be reviewed and escalated.

View of beach at Horseshoe Bay with concrete blocks acting as a temporary barrier in front of collapsed seawall.

Alexandrina Council has installed temporary protection measures to help keep the area safe while long-term solutions are developed. These measures include:

  • Installing a temporary concrete wall to help protect the damaged seawall from rough weather and high tides.
  • Installing temporary fencing around exclusion zones to keep people safe.
  • Regularly monitoring the seawall and nearby infrastructure.
  • Commissioning engineers to investigate options for short-term solutions to stabilise the seawall, with the aim of reopening the restricted areas during the 2026/27 summer.

A permanent solution cannot be delivered before the upcoming summer period due to the scale and complexity of required works and the need for appropriate investigations, detailed engineering, approvals, funding, heritage, procurement and construction planning.

Long-term Renewal Options

An engineering assessment undertaken in September identified that the age and poor condition of the seawall is not limited to the recently collapsed areas. Sections of the seawall have experienced significant long-term deterioration, with the southern and northern seawalls considered structurally inadequate for long-term serviceability. Engineers have recommended that Council consider reconstruction options and undertake further assessment of the stormwater drainage system that outfalls through the wall and its capacity.

Further engineering reports will consider longer-term renewal.  This work will consider the extent of the affected infrastructure,
likely engineering requirements, staging opportunities, heritage considerations, wave modelling report, community consultation outcomes and the need to integrate appropriate stormwater management into the future solution.

All permanent design work will be aligned with Council's Horseshoe Bay Wave Modelling Project and the outcomes of the associated community consultation. This project looked at options for mitigating the effects of sea level rise and coastal erosion at Horseshoe Bay. Horseshoe Bay in Port Elliot is a beach identified as a priority action area in Council's 2022 Coastal Adaptation Plan.  
The wave modelling and other investigations undertaken at Horseshoe Bay provide an important technical basis for understanding coastal conditions in the area and will inform the engineering response required for long-term resilience with the seawall.

When was the seawall built?
Local historians advise that the first section of the Horseshoe Bay seawall was built in the late 1920s, with further additions made until the 1950s. The seawall has collapsed multiple times between the 1930s and the late 1980s due to environmental pressures, namely storms and tidal surges. Alexandrina Council will consult with local and state heritage experts when considering designs for the long-term seawall renewal.