A "HUGE and impractical" amount of sand would be needed to return Redhead Beach to pre-storm levels as the local council estimates it could take up to two years to return on its own.
Storms that battered the coast took tonnes of sand with them, and with more bad weather to come this week, there are no plans to truck sand in from elsewhere to combat erosion.
Lake Macquarie City Council environmental systems manager Karen Partington said apart from the cost, there's still the likelihood it would be washed away again in another storm event.
"Many factors contribute to sand replenishment and erosion along our cost, so it's hard to say how long it will take for sand levels to return to where they were earlier this year," she said.
"At this stage our best estimate is 12 to 24 months."
Redhead Beach copped the worst of the weather, where huge swells pounded the clubhouse at the weekend washing away a wheelchair access ramp and damaging the kiosk doors.
Other patrolled beaches in the local government area didn't escape unscathed either.
Sand erosion was seen at a lesser degree at Caves, Blacksmiths and Catherine Hill Bay beaches because they are better protected from swell events coming from the south or south-east.
Even with sandbagging, sand erosion caused by storms is hard to manage, Ms Partington said.
"Council staff will keep track of any evolving weather events and take precautions and actions as necessary," she said.
It's too early to determine a dollar figure for the damage the weekend's weather events caused, according to the council, with most of the clean-up at Redhead ironically around sand removal.
Looking at a long-term plan, LMCC is putting together a Coastal Management Program with studies into coastal hazards like east coast lows and high tides.
The plan will identify actions to protect coastal areas and reduce the impacts of climate change and severe weather.
