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| The
Beach…Haven or Highway?
Driving on beaches is a well-entrenched activity
in the northern half of the NSW coastline.
Fishermen drive along the sand to their favourite
spot to set up rod. Other people just drive for pleasure -
to enjoy the same natural scenery that they are destroying
for others.
NPA opposes all driving of motor vehicles
on beaches and dunes, especially those that are on, or adjacent
to, national parks and nature reserves.
Our policy states that no vehicle should be
permitted on any beach, dune, dunefield or reserve headland,
except on properly formed and stabilised public or park road.
This road should terminate well behind the foredunes.
With beaches such a central part of Australian
culture, this is a difficult campaign with many vested interests.Governments
feel they must cater for all beach activities, regardless
of whether they are appropriate to the beach setting. There
is also a reluctance to extend national parks into the intertidal
zones, but this is needed if the National Parks and Wildlife
Service is to have any control over vehicle access and fragile
dune systems.
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| Why
object to vehicles on beaches?
Our objections fall under three main areas:
visual and sound pollution, damage to wildlife and habitat,
and danger to other beach-users.
Pollution
Vehicles cause sound pollution that affects
wildlife and other beach users. Vehicles on beaches also cause
air pollution (through exhaust fumes), and leave the sand
scarred by kilometres of deep tyre ruts.
Together, these elements threaten the all
the qualities that make our beaches world-famous: clean, open
space, and serene with fresh air.
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"This small
but significant group of "motorised" people treat
this wonderland of nature as just another piece of coast, to
be explored and used with the assistance of a vehicle. They
want no part of it to be "inaccessible". They do what
they like, with nobody stopping them, the NPWS even providing
for their beach access! They are intolerant of restriction,
which others consider necessary if national parks are to mean
anything different from resorts and playgrounds. They have lost
the use of their legs. They ignore or defy the feeble attempts
of NPWS (printed notices displayed at some access points) to
keep them to the beach - out of the dunes and off the vegetation."
Alan Catford, Feb 2000 |
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Wildlife and habitat
destruction
Shorebirds use beaches for breeding. A nest
full of bird's eggs has no chance of surviving the weight
of a passing 4WD.
Vehicles also disrupt shorebirds when they
are resting or feeding. Many of these birds are threatened
species, and cars continue to drive them away from our beaches.
Vehicles also threaten other, less visible
populations, such as sand worms, pips and ghost crabs. These
are vital food sources. Their intertidal zone must not become
a highway.
Furthermore, drivers often ignore signs and
venture into dunefields, which often hide valuable habitats
such as wetlands, littoral rainforest or tall wet forest.
These habitats are too sensitive for roads, let alone unformed
vehicular access. Also, without healthy sand dunes, beaches
cannot replenish themselves.
Recreation
Pedestrians don't walk down the centre of
public roads, so why should vehicles take over traditional
walkers' domain? Beaches are a place for peace and the appreciation
of nature in one of its mightiest forms.
There is nothing mighty about 4WDs, which
infringe upon the rights of other beach users, including:
- Surfers,
- Walkers,
- Picnickers,
- Sunbathers,
- Fishers.
Apart from being unpleasant, this is a potentially
dangerous situation. The noise of waves can drown out the
warning roar of an approaching 4WD. Children may not think
to look for cars before running onto the sand.
Finally, there is little patrolling along
some beaches, and drivers have been known to engage in reckless
and sometimes offensive behaviour.
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Case study: Myall Lakes
Myall Lakes National Park is an outstanding example
of how weak administration can lead to gross abuse of this beach
driving privilege.
Myall Lakes is famous for its 40 kilometres of beaches
and rolling sand dunes, and is one of the most visited parks in
the state.
A new Plan of Management still permits driving on two beaches, from
Lemontree to Dark Point and from Mungo to Big Gibber. So far it
has failed to resolve the conflict between vehicle access to these
beaches and the need for environmental protection.
Drivers frequently leave the intertidal zone, travelling
along the backshore and into the dunes. This damages vegetation
and sand structures, endangers birds and their nest.
If action is not taken soon, these precious sand
dunes will vanish. They will take with them crucial habitats, and
leave the beach at risk of washing away in the next big storm.
How can I help?
Monitoring impacts or preparing Plans of Management
alone does not end the treats that vehicles pose. Such measures
in the past have failed to curb the excesses of many drivers.
Contact NPA if you would like to be involved with
the campaign or make a donation. Or write to the NSW Premier and
tell him that traditional beach culture is being threatened by vehicular
access. On some stretches of coast, people can no longer walk, sit
or lie on an undistrubed beach, at peace with nature.
Letters should be addressed to:
The Hon. Morris Iemma
Level 40 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place SYDNEY NSW 2000
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