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Wipe out! Australia’s famous tourist and surfing beach in Byron Bay “disappears” after being hit by an extreme storm
- Byron Bay’s main beach was washed away with collapsing trees and walkways
- Heavy rain and wild wind hit New South Wales and Queensland
- The 300-mile stretch of the Australian coast is at risk of flooding in extreme storms
A famous beach in Byron Bay, Australia has all but “disappeared” in extreme storms that washed away tourist attractions along the east coast, authorities said today.
The main beach in Byron Bay, a New South Wales tourist destination and home to Hollywood A-listers like Chris Hemsworth, was washed away when trees and a concrete walkway tumbled into the sea in cyclonic conditions.
The heavy rain and wild winds caused by an intense low pressure system off the Queensland coast struck the populous areas between NSW and Queensland for a third day, bringing in more than 27 inches of rain in some spots over 48 hours.
“Right now we have storms near Byron, massive waves, we are watching our beach disappear,” said Byron Mayor Simon Richardson on Monday.
“What we have here is another event. An extreme weather event against the backdrop of climate change that our community is dealing with. It’s about the fourth or fifth major event in recent years. ‘
Byron Bay’s main beach, a popular tourist destination, is surrounded by sea water amid cyclone conditions on Australia’s east coast
A group of women and girls walk along the muddy stretch of coast where a long stretch of beach has been washed away by the storms
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology warned of coastal erosion, dangerous rain and huge waves off the coast that would last until Monday.
“Much of the beaches in northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland are experiencing severe coastal erosion as the spring tides, combined with large waves and stormy easterly winds, erode sand from the beaches,” said meteorologist Dean Narramore.
Up to 300 miles of the east coast are at risk of flooding due to the large weather system that brought much-needed rain to fight bushfires.
“Much of the impact of this weather event will be similar to a Category 1 cyclone event,” Queensland Emergency Services Secretary Mark Ryan told ABC.
Australia expects a wetter than usual summer this year due to a La Nina weather phenomenon, typically associated with greater rainfall and more tropical cyclones.
March 22nd: The sandy beach in Byron Bay with many tourists visiting the sea in New South Wales
The erosion-damaged bea
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