Insightful pictures show huge progress to create new sea defences at Ports Creek

A new embankment is being created along the top of Portsea Island with more than 75 of it fully built, topsoiled, and hydroseeded.

The bright green dye from the hydroseeding has begun to fade - and in its place, the first green shoots are starting to appear. By spring next year, this stretch will be bursting with coastal grasses and wildflowers, creating a vibrant habitat for birds, bees, and other wildlife.

Near the railway bridge, work has begun to upgrade the footpath, with wooden edging now being installed to separate the soil from the gravel that will soon be added and as works progress the gravel along the previously completed section at Anchorage Park will be refreshed. This means the entire footpath will have a consistent finish - stretching all the way from Eastern Road to the Portsbridge roundabout.

Work has also begun to improve the historic moats at Hilsea Lines with an amphibious excavator clearing out old silt and putting new reedbed structures in place to help clean the water naturally and bring more wildlife to the area. They will also help restore the shape of the original moat, back to its linear form, protecting its history.

Pictures and video by Marcin Jedrysiak.