"Urgent" works on a $7 million rock armouring to shore up Warrnambool's historic breakwater wall is still on the city council's agenda, it has been revealed.
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After years of neglect, the structure which dates back to the late 1800s had deteriorated so much that works would need to be carried out within the next few years, a report found.
That was in 2018 but now, five years later, there is still no word on when that work - which had been labelled "urgent" - will be carried out.
The consequences of failing to take action could be major, such as the collapse of part of the breakwater, the report warned, but it also pointed out there was no imminent risk.
The then council infrastructure director said the breakwater had a "number of pretty big holes under it" and there was "quite significant cracking" at the end of the breakwater.
The works cost $140,000.
The Port of Warrnambool Asset Management Plan recommended extending the rock armouring along the structure by 400 metres to secure the future of the iconic seawall.
The works bill for the project was put at between $5 million and $7m in 2018 but with skyrocketing inflation and higher materials cost that figure could now be higher.
To extend the rock armouring a crane would be needed to place up to 90,000 tonnes of one-metre-by-1.5-metre boulders into the ocean side of the breakwater, one at a time.
Works were put on hold until the bridge in South Warrnambool was replaced which would allow trucks carrying the heavy load to access the foreshore.
The bridge upgrade works have now been completed.
The council's chief executive officer Andrew Mason said it would continue to advocate for rock armoury to support the breakwater and to mitigate wave impact.
"We understand that at this stage no commitment has been made by the Victorian government in relation to funding for this project," he said.
"In the event that funding is secured a program of actions with a timeframe would be defined."
Mr Mason said with an extensive assessment of the breakwater already having been carried out, there were no plans for any further assessments in the short term.
In coming weeks, the city council plans to install a new rubber access mat from the Warrnambool Surf Club to the beach.
Katrina Lovell
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
