Repeating mistakes of the past
My husband and I recently revisited Kingscliff on the North Coast of NSW.
It has been many years since we were there last and we were very interested to see the changes which had taken place.
Kingscliff bears some resemblance to Ettalong, being a coastal strip beside the sea.
It is now quite a metropolis.
The former wide extent of vegetated dunes has been replaced with mown parkland, at least 50m wide.
There are two caravan parks, children's playgrounds, wooden seats and many cafes on the street.
Unfortunately the whole length of the beachside is under attack.
A very large rock wall has had to be built to protect the bowling club from the sea.
As with all sea walls, the erosion is worse at the end of the wall, where some of the mown lawn and poinciana trees are now lying on the beach.
If something is not done, the club will find itself on an island.
As far as the eye can see, the dunes are now held up by sand bags and - or rock walls, but still the sea is relentlessly, wearing it all away.
Caravans have had to be moved to the rear of the parks and campers at the front sometimes wake up to find the sea at their door.
Earth movers have tried to reconstruct the dunes, all to no avail.
As is usual, local residents and traders rant at the Council's failure to prevent the ongoing erosion, despite millions having been spent on the project.
I was therefore saddened to see in the last Peninsula News, that Ettalong is following the same path.
We never learn.
Money from all levels of government is to be spent to turn Ettalong into what appears to be an English seaside.
The amount of money which can be found at a time of fiscal restraint is truly amazing.
I wonder how many roads could have been mended with Council's contribution of $2.79 million.
Something did need to be done at Ettalong, especially at the Lance Webb Reserve where the groynes and fallen rock wall demonstrate so clearly the previous mistakes made by man, to control the sea.
As Joseph Conrad once said: "The sea has never been friendly to man."
One can only wonder at this scheme, when such plans have been seen to fail so often before.
Email, 6 Jun 2013
Margaret Lund, Woy Woy Bay