Island residents race to save homes from being swept into sea | A Current Affair

Uncle Greg, as he's affectionately known, once ran the local sawmill.After decades of tireless, dusty work, he should have his feet up, enjoying retirement.Instead, he's shoveling rocks, one by one, to save his island home.

This erosion hasn't just eventuated, it's been going on for years.

It comes and goes, but this is the worst that I've ever seen it.

There's houses at risk all along here.

And it would have been 30 metres go in the cyclone.

I think it's about time that Council sort of took responsibility.

Stradbroke Island is a short ferry ride from Brisbane and one of the world's largest sand islands, famous for crystal blue water and pillow soft sand.But with that comes the threat of erosion.That's nothing new.Authorities have had plans in place for years to measure that.The problem is right now, some residents say there's literally a line in the sand protecting some and not others.This is how Greg is spending his twilight years, picking up rocks one by one by hand, building a wall to save his home from erosion.

Do you mind if I ask how old you are?

No, 87.

So 87 and you're shoveling rocks?Greg's home was built in the 1920s.In aerial pictures from the 90s, you can't even see the house.It's deep in bush, far from the ocean.But now, salt water is almost lapping at his door.

The main trouble was we couldn't get rock.We ended up buying truckloads of rock from town.

And shipping it over here on the ferry?

Yeah.

That must have been so expensive.

It is.

Up the road, Greg's neighbour Ianundertake the same emergency works.Not until the erosion eats through Council's beachfront and hits his boundary.

Once it gets through this big hill, a big seal can come into the lower land where the houses are.

Ian and Greg and eight other homeowners live on the northern flank of Amity on Stradbroke Island, where it's now a race against time to protect their homes ahead of summer king tides and the cyclone season.Meanwhile, down the beach at central Amity, residents have protection.Council gave them permission to buy boulders from the island quarry to build their rock walls.

The big rock is only available through the council.quarry and we are ineligible for that council quarry access.

Linda Litherland is another resident on the northern flank trying to fortify her home with rocks.

We'd have to source that from Brisbane and that's around about three times the price of what one truck is here.

Erosion is a natural risk when buying oceanfront property.But Google satellite images show these homes in the year 2000 had no sea views, hidden behind gum trees, metres from the water.With no protection, front yards were hacked away by erosion.This last image from 2024, taken before tropical cyclone Alfred.

We're not expecting the council to come in and pay for everything.We are not asking for handouts, we're just asking for them to do their duty of care on their land.

And they have the backing of their neighbours.Most of these residents live inland, away from the beach.But they know what's at risk if action isn't taken and asbestos homes and septic tanks slip into the ocean.The area is also a koala colony.Dolphins play and breed in the lagoon along the beach, and if salt water gets into the freshwater supply on the island, it would be an environmental catastrophe.

Once the sea breaks through, who knows what will happen.

Council staff inspected the damage last week.

unaware of how bad the erosion was.

Residents say they're hopeful that's a sign they'll get help soon.Greg isn't so optimistic.

They're heavy rocks and you shouldn't be doing this.Like, you pay your rates.

What do you pay rates for here?Nothing.

This is an environmentally sensitive area and it needs to be conserved.This is a beach that's worthy of being looked after and reinstated.

People deserve to be looked after too.Council told us property owners are aware of the coastal conditions and are responsible for protecting and maintaining their own private assets.But come on, the map shows how it's changed and had Council acted sooner, residents wouldn't be in this situation.