Tea Gardens ferry service likely to cease operating due to the build-up of sand in the Myall River

Noel Gaunt's Y-Knot ferry transports visitors to the coastal tourist town six times a day. But the trip is becoming increasingly perilous following several close encounters with the sandy bottom in recent months.

"There's been a significant build-up in some areas and the depths are well down," he said.

"By mid-year we may not be able to traverse even with a 1.2 metre beam; we might have trouble getting in and out with the amount of sand movement that's happening."

The likely end of the ferry service would be the latest economic casualty of the erosion and sand movement crisis occurring along the state's coastline.

It will also be another blow for Tea Gardens locals who have been campaigning for more than a decade to achieve an ongoing maintenance program to dredge the river mouth.

"The effects on marine life are massive. The river should be mostly seawater but it's fresh. There's seven parts per thousand of salt and there should be 32," Mr Gaunt said.

"The bait fish that live in the mangroves don't have the nutrients they need."

On the other side of the port, the build-up of sand over recent years is contributing to the disappearance of the White Seahorse.

Ironically, the build up of sand at Port Stephens and Myall Lakes is the opposite of what is occurring elsewhere on the Hunter Coast.

To the south of Newcastle, the Bring Blacksmiths Back group is lobbying for a permanent sand transfer pipeline system to move dredged sand from a stockpile at Naru via a five kilometre pipeline to the severely eroded Blacksmiths beach.

It is proposed that the sand be distributed at six points between Blacksmiths Beach and north along Nine Mile Beach.

A similar system was installed in 2015 and operated effectively before it was removed by the contractor.

The lake's entrance is due to be dredged this month and the sand will be transported to the beach using trucks.

The push for a sand transfer system is supported by state and local MPs and Lake Macquarie City Council.

Swansea State MP Yasmin Catley has advocated for the project to be included in a long-term dredging program for NSW waterways, which is being developed by the Marine Infrastructure Delivery Office.

A Lake Macquarie Council spokesperson said the transfer system was included as an action in the council's draft Coastal Management Program.

"Sand nourishment on Blacksmiths beach is an important strategy into the future to build the resilience of the beach and dune, protect public and private assets from coastal hazards, and improve beach and surf amenity," a Lake Macquarie Council spokesman said.

We look forward to the Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office taking action as soon as possible to find a solution, as this issue significantly impacts lake and coastal recreation and tourism opportunities in Lake Macquarie.

Last year's federal budget included $10million for a permanent dredge for Lake Macquarie.

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