Coastal Erosion – Reshaping Our Coastline

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In this video, we are going on a virtual field trip to the land down under—Australia! We're here to explore a natural process that shapes beaches, cliffs, and coastlines all around the world. It's called coastal erosion.

So, what exactly is coastal erosion? Coastal erosion happens when waves, wind, and water slowly wear away the sand, rocks, and land along our coastlines.

Sometimes it happens very slowly, over many years, and other times it can happen super quickly, especially during big storms!

But why should we care about coastal erosion? Well, coastal erosion changes beaches and cliffs, which affects wildlife, homes, roads, and even our favorite holiday spots. Understanding erosion helps us protect our beaches and the communities that live nearby.

To understand how coastal erosion can happen rapidly, let's look at a powerful storm that hit the Gold Coast, Australia in March 2025 —Cyclone Alfred.

Cyclone Alfred was a big storm with strong winds and huge waves. These giant waves smashed onto the beaches, quickly washing away huge amounts of sand. In just a short time, some beaches became smaller, and paths and fences near the shore got badly damaged.

This type of erosion is rapid because it happens fast during storms. It shows us how quickly nature can change the shape of our coastline. That's why it's important to learn about erosion and protect the places we love.

Now let's travel to Australia's rugged southern coastline, where we can see how coastal erosion happens much more slowly—but still makes huge changes over time.

In Port Campbell National Park, powerful waves crash against tall cliffs and rock formations every single day. Over many, many years, these waves slowly carve away the rock, creating amazing landmarks like the famous Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.

Coastal erosion keeps working—slowly and steadily. For example, the London Bridge formation in Port Campbell once had two arches, but in 1990, one arch suddenly collapsed, creating a rock island and leaving the coastline forever changed.

This shows us that even slow erosion can eventually lead to dramatic changes, shaping our coastline bit by bit.

So, whether it happens rapidly during powerful storms like Cyclone Alfred, or very slowly over thousands of years like at Port Campbell, coastal erosion is always reshaping our coastlines.