Councils pitch in to protect SA's coastline
Published on 14 November 2025
When an algal bloom impacted beaches around Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula last week, the scale of the clean-up quickly became clear.
With kilometres of coastline to cover and a significant volume of marine life to collect, the local response team faced a major clean-up challenge.
So, when the Algal Bloom Coastal Remediation Incident Controller reached out for support, the City of Onkaparinga answered the call.
On Monday 10 November, 2 Onkaparinga staff members travelled to the Yorke Peninsula with one of South Australia’s few specialised beach-cleaning units – the council's tractor and beach rake – to assist local crews.
Together, the teams worked to restore the coastline before Onkaparinga staff returned home later that day.
All costs were covered through the South Australian Government’s Algal Bloom response funding.
City of Onkaparinga CEO Phu Nguyen said the collaboration underscored the strength of councils working side-by-side for the benefit of communities statewide.
“This collaboration highlights the strength of South Australia’s councils working together to protect our shared coastline and natural environment," he said.
“By sharing resources and expertise where they’re needed most, we can make a real difference for communities across the state.”
Yorke Peninsula Mayor Kylie Gray said the support was invaluable.
“We’re incredibly appreciative of the support from the City of Onkaparinga team," Mayor Gray said.
“Their specialised equipment made a real difference in accelerating the clean-up and restoring our beaches."
“It’s a great example of councils joining forces to care for our coastline and communities."
City of Onkaparinga’s beach clean-up process
The council’s tractor and beach rake are used on Onkaparinga’s beaches too – including at Port Noarlunga and Christies Beach – though only selectively.
This is because the beach rake collects all debris in its path, including sea wrack (the natural accumulation of organic materials on the beach such as seagrass), which is an important part of the coastal environment.
Where possible, the aim is to minimise environmental impact by removing only the deceased animals via hand collection, while leaving the sea wrack in place. This work is carried out by a dedicated team of staff employed by the state government, which carries out daily inspections and undertakes small clean-ups where needed. Dedicated marine animal bins have been supplied across our coast and are collected daily. The council supports these efforts as part of the Algal Bloom Coastal Remediation Clean Up Incident Management Team, which helps direct clean-up support to where it’s needed.
When large amounts of marine life wash up in the one area, however, sometimes hand collection isn’t feasible. It’s in these cases when the beach rake might be deployed.
Council staff are currently in discussions about whether to use the rake next week following a large number of marine animals that have washed up along our coast in recent days.
Pictured
Top to bottom: the City of Onkaparinga's beach rake and tractor in action; the specialised equipment ready for deployment; a beach near Ardrossan cleared of deceased marine life by the beach rake