Beaches bear brunt of cyclone damage

Snells Beach

East coast beaches took a pounding from Cyclone Gabrielle, with huge seas destroying steps and seawalls, smashing pathways and eating into sand dunes.

The wild waves threw up a mess of branches, logs, tree trunks and other detritus, most of which landed well above the usual high tide line, blocking boat ramps, stairs and other access points.

Some of the most dramatic damage was at the usually sheltered Snells Beach, where the wooden seawall was reduced to a scattered pile of planks and the popular waterfront path above it was smashed to pieces i...