Over the last eight years, Clarence City Council in Tasmania has implemented a three stage adaptation pathway, involving ‘no/low regrets’ and ‘win-win’ projects along with a more focussed adaptation strategy for the highest risk site at Lauderdale. This pathway has involved extensive community consultation, stepped beach access ways, signage and fencing, sand biodiversity surveys, dune in-fill with beach-scraped sand, photogrammetry, high-resolution aerial beach photo-monitoring, citizen science and hazard line refinement. Ratepayers support the idea of shared fiscal responsibility for adaptation options such as sand pumping, groynes and rock walling. Lessons learned include avoiding actions that limit or constrain future adaptation options, along with ensuring elected representatives, staff and community are well informed and supportive.