Batemans Bay Dredging
Project overview
Transport for NSW is committed to improve and sustain accessibility to key coastal locations, river entrances and local waterways to improve navigation for commercial and recreational vessels.
Latest news
October 2025 – Dredging work finished early
The Port Frederick dredging vessel has wrapped up work at Clyde River Bar ahead of schedule. What was expected to take four weeks was completed in just two, thanks to the efficiency of this dredge vessel.
The outcome of this dredging delivered:
- 40-metre-wide channel
- to a depth of -2.6 metres LAT
- removing around 30,000 cubic metres of sand from the bar
- making navigation smoother and safer for everyone.
Now that the dredging is complete, we’ll continue to monitor the channel and observe how the placed sand behaves, helping us plan for future dredging campaigns.
We thank the community for their support and patience while we completed this important work. Your cooperation helps keep our waterways safe and accessible for all.
October 2025 – Start of work
Our dredging work will start on around Friday 17 October, weather permitting This work should take about 4 weeks to complete.
A dredge vessel will arrive, and a mooring area will be set up for when it’s not operating.
Our key details of the work are:
- dredging at the Clyde River Bar to maintain a navigable channel
- dredging about 40 metres wide and to a depth of -2.6 metres Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT)
- removing about 30,000 cubic metres
- placing the dredged sand offshore, about 600 metres from the Surfside Beach shore.
For more information, please consult the Community Update (October 2025) (PDF, 2.19 MB).
September 2025 - Batemans Bay Dredging Submissions Report Now Available
We would like to thank everyone who provided feedback during the public consultation process.
We’re pleased to share the Submissions Report (PDF, 7.95 MB), which summarises the valuable input received from the community.
The report confirms that the proposed dredging method is the most effective approach to maintain safe navigation through the Clyde River Bar, the primary objective of this project and welcome news for the local boating community.
Key themes raised during consultation included:
- erosion at Surfside Beach
- sand placement strategies
- ongoing sand movement.
We acknowledge that erosion at Surfside Beach is a significant concern for residents. In response, we undertook additional modelling which shows that strategically placing dredged sand offshore can, over time, allow natural coastal processes to transport sand toward Surfside Beach delivering some beach nourishment benefits. Similar modelling techniques are used to inform dredging methodologies across the state.
We’ve also committed to post-dredging monitoring to assess the project’s impacts and inform future dredging activities. Importantly, this community engagement has sparked interest from other agencies, who are now exploring collaborative solutions to help minimise and improve erosion outcomes.
With final approvals underway, we’re one step closer to dredging at the Clyde River Bar and will update the community when work is set to begin.
Thank you again for your engagement and support. We look forward to delivering this important maritime project for the region.
June 2025 - Thank you for you feedback
We would like to thank everyone who came to our recent information sessions at Batemans Bay. We appreciate all the feedback and formal submissions we received on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) (PDF, 27.46 MB), and our proposal to dredge the Batemans Bay bar entrance when needed for the next 10 years, subject to available funding.
Your feedback is important to us and our project team will now consider all the feedback and publish a Submissions Report. Your personal information will not be published in that report.
We will update you when this step has been completed and the report is available to view on our website.
May 2025 – Have your Say on future dredging projects in Batemans Bay
We are seeking your input on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) (PDF, 27.46 MB) to dredge the bar entrance when needed for the next 10 years and your feedback is key.
Join the Maritime Dredging Team at Bay Pavilions at 12 Vesper St, Batemans Bay, at one of the following information sessions:
- Tuesday 13 May, 3pm to 6pm
- Wednesday 14 May, 2pm am to 5 pm
Or attend our online information session:
- Tuesday 27 May, 6 pm to 7 pm.
You will need to register your interest to attend online, so we can send you a meeting link. Please phone or email us to register your attendance.
For more information on the proposal and how to give your feedback read the latest community update (PDF, 804.58 KB). Have your say closes Monday 2 June 2025.
Project information
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Background
The Clyde River Bar is a vital waterway that needs regular dredging to keep vessels moving safely in and out of Batemans Bay.
The NSW Coastal Dredging Strategy - highlights this area as an important investment to improve navigation and support businesses, tourism, and the local economy.
The NSW Maritime Infrastructure Plan - recognises Batemans Bay as a top boating destination, providing access to the Marine Park and Montague Island. It also plays a key role in aquaculture, especially oyster farming, along with marinas, fishing, and tourism. Clear and well-marked channels are essential for the region's growth and ongoing success.
What are we doing?
We will start dredging work on around the Friday 17 October, weather permitting.
A dredge vessel will arrive, and a mooring area will be set up for when it’s not operating.
The key key details of that dredging campaign are:
- dredging at the Clyde River Bar to maintain a navigable channel
- dredging about 40 metres wide and to a depth of -2.6 metres Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT)
- removing about 30,000 cubic metres placing the dredged sand offshore, about 600 metres from the Surfside Beach shore.
We will now monitor the conditions at the Clyde River bar and advise when the bar needs dredging again. This is expected to be in a few years time.
Batemans Bay Channel dredging map
Next steps
Consultation on the 10 year REF and dredging proposal was completed in August 2025.
The REF Submissions Report (PDF, 7.95 MB) is available to view.
This gives us Environmental approval to dredge when needed and funding is available until 2035.
We completed the first dredging campaign under this environmental approval in October 2025 removing about 30,0000 cubic metres of sand.
Our team will now continue to monitor the conditions at the Clyde River Bar and we will let you know when the next dredging campaign is needed.
Community information
Community updates
Project documents
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If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.
Contact us
For more information contact the project team:
Phone: 1800 271 100