The City’s 32 km coastline, from Tamala Park to Two Rocks, is a unique natural asset and a driver of coastal growth. Unlike areas further south, Wanneroo’s foreshore remains largely undeveloped. With rising sea levels and climate change increasing vulnerability, the City actively monitors and manages this precious coastline.
Overview of coastal management planning
The City’s coastline is a dynamic environment that is constantly shaped by waves, wind and storm events. Coastal erosion and climate change, including sea-level rise, present ongoing challenges for the management of beaches, dunes, coastal infrastructure and natural habitats.
The Coastal Management Plan 2021 (CMP) provides a strategic framework to guide the sustainable development and management of the City’s coastline over the next 15 years. The CMP seeks to balance community access and enjoyment of the coast with the protection of environmental values, while guiding coastal development and supporting the City’s response to future coastal hazards and the long-term effects of climate change.
Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Plan (CHRMAP)
The City’s Final CHRMAP report outlines 13 recommendations to guide coastal hazard risk management and inform future decisions. These recommendations will shape how the City addresses coastal risks over the next five to ten years, with updates aligned to State Planning Policy 2.6. Community engagement sessions are planned to discuss these actions and share how the City will manage coastal hazards moving forward.
View the Final CHRMAP report below:
Foreshore management guidelines
Coastal planning is central to the City’s ongoing management efforts. All developments impacting the foreshore require a Foreshore Management Plan, outlining future land uses and strategies to minimise environmental impacts. Details on assessment, preparation and submission requirements, are outlined in the Foreshore Management Plan Guidelines.
Coastal projects
The City is committed to enhancing its coastline through a series of beach improvement projects. From sand renourishment programs to infrastructure upgrades, each project is designed to create safer, more enjoyable spaces for the community while preserving the natural coastal environment for future generations. View coastal projects.
Coastal monitoring
The City monitors the seasonal and long-term changes along our coastline, to better understand how we can manage and protect our coastal environment for the future. This includes:
- Photographs captured twice a year at 51 beach sites.
- Five beach monitoring cameras, capturing a photo every hour.
- Coastal surveys of the City's coastline in April and October each year.
- Analysis of available aerial imagery of the coastline.
- Wave date captured from three wave buoys moored off the City's coastline. View wawaves.org/wanneroo
- Wave, water level and wind data supplied by the Department of Transport and the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Annual condition assessments of coastal protective structures (groynes and seawalls).
- Inspection (6 monthly) and condition assessment (5 yearly) of all beach access structures.
Every six months a Coastal Monitoring Report is produced that outlines the methodology of the program and details any coastal changes that were observed over the last 12 months. View latest report.
Beach projects
Each year the City undertakes planned beach renourishment along Quinns Beach, Quinns Rocks. The locations for beach renourishment are selected each year based upon the level of erosion experienced at each site.
Renourishment locations are not limited to Quinns Beach and Yanchep Lagoon and will include other locations along the City’s coastline when necessary.
Sea wrack (seaweed and seagrass) accumulates south of Two Rocks Marina because the marina interrupts the natural movement of sand and sea wrack along the coast. This can affect beach access, safety and amenity, particularly during summer. To manage the issue, the City has obtained a licence to undertake works on Crown land. A Department of Transport study assessed the accumulation and identified the conditions that naturally return wrack to the ocean.
Sea Wrack Management Trial
In 2022, the City and the Two Rocks Yanchep Residents Association trialled several sea wrack management methods, including beach monitoring, returning wrack to the ocean during suitable conditions and tracking its movement using GPS technology. The trial found these methods were not effective enough for ongoing use south of the Two Rocks Marina. The project was partly funded through the State Government's Coastwest Grant program.
Following community feedback and advice from the Department of Transport, the City undertook a further Sea Wrack Management Trial during summer 2025/26 to assess alternative management options for excess sea wrack accumulation south of the Two Rocks Marina. This trial included a community collection point for reuse as garden fertiliser or compost and the burial of excess sea wrack to support dune growth, biodiversity and coastal protection.
For enquiries contact the City's Coastal Management Team on 9405 5883.
Two Rocks Sea Wrack Management Community survey results Department of Transport - Two Rocks Summer Wrack Accumulation Study
To view other beach projects visit our projects page.
