What did we learn from the infamous Cronulla race riots that made headlines around the world in 2005 ? That hostility is certain if we allow any group of people to think they " own " a beach and have the right to stop others from using it.
Cronulla was unique because the train station was just across the street from the beach and this induced it to be a favourite for young men from the western suburbs. Totally against the law, they kicked soccer balls around annoying beach goers and when this was not checked by the police, they started harassing girls. When a girl ran to lifesavers for protection, her harassers beatup the crew on duty and that provoked a litany of sms texts and views on talk back radio for citizens to " take back our beach ".
The scenes that followed on the television news were graphic. Mob frenzy took over and those with even vague middle east appearance were dragged off trains and beaten. This brought car loads of defenders from the western suburbs and running battles ensued. It was described by news commentators as " Australia's day of shame " !
Unfortunately, this issue of beach " ownership " is again raising its ugly head. The need for isolation during this coronavirus pandemic has seen the public banned from beaches and even our famous Bondi beach has been fenced off by the police. As we slowly emerge from the pandemic councils responsible for beachside suburbs are coming under pressure to implement parking rules that favour beachside residents over visitors.
The suggestions under consideration vary widely, from issuing those who live in beach suburbs with car stickers that exempt them from parking rules to time allocation that allows those that live in a suburb to have more favourable access than visitors. It certainly raises that " ownership " issue with the suggestion that those who have paid the premium prices for housing and land with proximity to a beach have some sort of divine right to control access from strangers from other parts of the city.
We are in the process of implementing new and better rail access and the road system has been improved to the extent that the vast Sydney population will have a faster and more convenient way of getting to the city's perimeter of coastal beaches. It is simply a fact of life that the number of beaches is limited to the length of coastline our city fronts the sea. It is inevitable that those beaches will suffer an ever growing influx of people enjoying the sand and sea.
Control of people who come to the beach by car is regulated by parking costs which determine length of stay to money. The aim is to ensure that parking places achieve a quick turnover so that our beaches are available to all, but public transport improvements are likely to see beach numbers break existing records as Sydney gets hotter and longer summers because of global warming. It seems to be a fact of life that most people who actually live in a beachside suburb rarely visit the beach.
It is important that beachside councils resist that " ownership " stigma that is creeping into the thinking of those lucky enough to pay for housing close by sand and sea. Orderly crowds enjoying nature's beauty will avoid the type of confrontation that was so ugly in Cronulla back in 2005.
Limiting the numbers with access to a beach virtually guarantees that who actually "owns " the beach will be contested in the future !
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