WA Coastal Awards for Excellence

Presented as part of the Western Australian Planning Commission’s CoastWA program, the Coastal Awards recognise work undertaken to enhance, rehabilitate and adapt to threats and pressures along Western Australia’s extensive coastline.
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This year, winners were announced across five categories for the 2025 WA Coastal Awards for Excellence:

  • Coastal Champion
  • Coastal Planning and Design
  • Coastal Management
  • Education, Engagement, Science and Research
  • Coastal Adaptation.

Winners for the 2025 WA Coastal Awards for Excellence

Coastal Champion

  • Award Winner: Kelly Howlett – Care for Hedland Environmental Association

    Since founding the Care for Hedland Environmental Association in 2003, Kelly has volunteered thousands of hours to grow the organisation with her greatest achievement being the protection of the Flatback Turtles including data collection, education and fox control.

  • Special Commendation: Craig Wilson

    Craig has dedicated decades to caring for and protecting the coast through his roles as Perth NRM Coastcare officer and his volunteer role at Cockburn Coastcare, where he inspires many and leads by example.

  • Special Commendation: Doris (Marie) MacDonald

    Marie has contributed to the coast for over 50 years through many groups including Joondalup Coast Care Forum, Urban Bushland Council, Perth Natural Resource Management Inc, Mullaloo Community Inc and the City of Joondalup Council.

Coastal Planning and Design

  • Award Winner: City of Melville – Melville Road Bioengineering

    The Melville Beach Road Foreshore includes innovative erosion control and extensive native vegetation restoration while improving community access.

  • Special Commendation: City of Albany and Bluecoast Consulting Engineers – Southern Ocean Surf Reef

    35 years in the making, the Southern Ocean Surf Reef has provided a community facility which will boost the local economy and encourage younger generations to engage with the coast.

Coastal Management

  • Award Winner: City of Cockburn – C.Y. O’Connor Beach Engineered Fringing Reef

    Installed in 2022, this engineered reef has provided environmental outcomes including reduced wave energy by 20 per cent, significant increase in biodiversity, as well as supporting recreation activities such as snorkelling.

  • Special Commendation: Shires of Dandaragan, Coorow and Gingin – Midwest Coastal Recreational Track Management Master Plan

    A coordinated effort by three local governments to create a master plan which aims to reduce the impact of 4WDs on sensitive coastal areas, while retaining recreation beach driving.

Education, Engagement, Science and Research

  • Awards Winner: UWA Oceans Institute – Rising tides: Imagining Coastal Resilience

    Engaging students and drawing on local community values, this project uses social sciences, landscape architecture and coastal engineering to envision future coastlines at Cockburn-Fremantle and Binalup/Middelton Bay in Albany.

  • Special Commendation: Peron Naturaliste Partnership/Winjan Aboriginal Corporation/Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure/Main Roads WA – Drone Monitoring of Vulnerable Coastal Areas

    A partnership project using innovative methods to capture high resolution imagery to monitor seasonal changes of the coast between Cape Peron and Cape Naturaliste.

Coastal Adaptation

  • Award Winner: City of Busselton – Busselton Storm Surge Risk Mitigation

    The City of Busselton has undertaken comprehensive work to address the future storm surge risk this vulnerable area faces, including real time wave and tidal monitoring, onshore and offshore surveys, storm surge modelling as well as implementing physical nature-based protection measures and coastal levees.

  • Special Commendation: Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure/Maritime Constructions/BMT/ Shire of Esperance – Bandy Creek Maintenance Dredging and Castletown Beach Nourishment

    A project leading the way in addressing beach nourishment through installation of a permanent three-kilometre pipeline to carry out maintenance dredging and beneficial reuse of the sand at Castletown Beach

    2025 Coastal Awards Winners Booklet (PDF)

Previous Coastal Award winners

2022 Winners

  • Coastal Champion – Walter Kolb - Stirling Natural Environment Coastcare
    • Special Commendation: Don Poynton - Coordinator Friends of North Ocean Reef-Iluka Foreshore
  • Coastal Planning -  Western Australian Local Government Association - Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Planning Forum
  • Coastal Management and Adaptation – Town of Port Hedland
    • Special Commendation: City of Wanneroo - Quinns Beach Long Term Coastal Management
    • Special Commendation: City of Cockburn - Engineered fringing reef at C.Y. O'Connor Beach
  • Education and Engagement – Perth NRM - Adopt A Beach & Coastal Capacity Building Programs
    • Special Commendation: Nature Conservation Margaret River Region - Adopt a Spot Program
  • Coastal Design – Shire of Broome - Guwarri Town Beach Redevelopment
    • Special Commendation: City of Albany - Middleton Beach Foreshore Enhancement Project
  • Science and Research - Conservation Council of Western Australia - WA Fairy Tern Network
    • Special Commendation: CoastSnapWA - Community Beach Monitoring

2019 Winners

  • Coastal Champion Award - Environs Kimberley for the Broome Community Seagrass Monitoring Project
  • Community Group Award - Cottesloe Coastcare Association (Inc)
  • Community Group Award (Special Commendation) - Friends of Point Peron
  • Local Government Award - City of Rockingham
  • On-ground Coastal Management Award - Swan Estuary Reserves Action Group Inc.
  • Coastal Planning Award - Peron Naturaliste Partnership
  • Coastal Design, Heritage and Tourism (2 awards) - City of Cockburn for the Coogee Maritime Trail and City of Greater Geraldton for the Beresford Foreshore Coastal Protection and Enhancement Project

2017 Winners

  • Coastal Champion – Dr. Marjorie Apthorpe (Friends of North Ocean Reef – Iluka Foreshore).
    • Special Commendation: South West and Peel Coastal Management Group (CoastSWap).
  • Community Group Effort – South West and Peel Coastal Management Group (CoastSWap) for the Mandurah to Walpole Coastal Stakeholder Forums and Coastal Management Case Studies Project (2014-2017).
  • Local Government award – City of Joondalup for the Coastal Adaptation Planning and Implementation Project.
    • Special Commendation: City of Cockburn for the Coogee Maritime Trail.
  • On-Ground Coastal Management – Batavia Coast Maritime Institute for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands habitat restoration and revegetation project.
  • Coastal Planning Initiative – Cockburn Sound Alliance.
    • Special Commendation: South West Catchments Council for the Coastal Action Plan: Binningup to Walpole.
  • Coastal Development/Design/Tourism Initiative
    • Special Commendation: City of Karratha for the coastal enhancement projects at Karratha Searipple precinct and Point Samson Dampier Foreshores.
  • Special Award: Industry and Community Collaboration Award – Woodside Energy and Conservation Volunteers Australia for the Woodside Coastal Guardians Program.

2013 Winners

  • Individual Contribution – Kimberly Onton (Birdlife Australia – Shorebirds 2020).
  • Community Group Effort – Conservation Volunteers Australia for the Coastal Guardians project.
    • Special Commendation:  Capes Volunteer Team – Cape to Cape Catchments Group for coastal rehabilitation work following the 2011 Margaret River bushfires.
  • Coastal Heritage Preservation – Curtin University Sustainable Policy Institute in partnership with the Western Australia Marine Science Institute for the Seeing Change: A photographic story from Abrolhos fishers project.
  • Coastal Environmental Initiative – Tangaroa Blue Foundation for the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.
  • Coastal Development/Design – Department of Environment and Conservation – Midwest Region for the Kalbarri National Park – Coastal Cliffs Restoration Project.
  • Coastal/Marine Research or Education – Dunsborough Primary School and Geographe Catchment Council for Bay OK Day.

2011 Winners

  • Individual Contribution (2 awards) – Robyn Benken (Cottesloe Coastcare Association) and Brad Kneebone (Lowlands Coastcare Group / South Coast Management Group).
  • Community Group Effort (2 awards) – Geographe Catchment Council for the “Bay OK” Project and Parry Beach Voluntary Management Group.
  • Coastal Partnership - City of Albany / Elleker Progress & Sporting Assoc. / Southern Aboriginal Corporation / South Coast NRM Noongar Works Team / South Coast Management Group for the environmental restoration work around Torbay Inlet.
  • Indigenous Coastal Achievement - Bardi Jawi Rangers for the Bardi Jawi Cultural Experience Project (Broome).
  • Coastal/Marine Research or Education - Albany Senior High School for the Albany Senior High School Marine Science Program.
  • Coastal Development/Design - Blackwell & Associates Pty Ltd for the Leighton Foreshore Project. 

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