Keep the real Australia

There seem to be many people who would prefer to see exotics planted along the foreshore.

They mention the beauty of beaches overseas.

They do not seem to realise that this is Australia. It is not an Hawaiian Island or a seaside resort in Britain.

If they were to take a stroll along the Lance Web Reserve or near the Vietnam Memorial at Ettalong, they would see for themselves just how ineffective grass is to stop erosion.

There are great channels and holes gouged out by the storms and the heavy rain.

Near the Ocean Beach Surf Club they can see sand right across the car park, due to the lack of vegetation at the end of the walk-way.

There is no sand across the road at Town Beach as there used to be before the vegetation was put in.

If they were to visit many seasides in Britain, they would notice that there are now waves crashing across the promenades and coastal paths at high tide or in rough weather. They would find that the National Trust and landholders have adopted a policy of "managed retreat" as they can no longer afford the enormous expense of holding the waters back.

They could see a farm on the Yorkshire coast which is losing two metres a year of its land, as it falls into the sea.

This is largely due to a sea-wall which was built further up the coast.

We have to accept that whatever we do to one part of the coast will have an effect somewhere else on that coast.

If we are to nourish our beaches by dredging elsewhere, what impact is that going to have on that dredged area?

The famous "Basque wave" off the northern coast of Spain has turned into a ripple and the government is concerned about its impact on tourism.

What will happen to the surf at Ocean Beach if we dredge for a ferry or to replenish the sand on our beaches?

We cannot just have what looks pretty.

Surely tourists come to see the real Australia, not an artificial seaside which they can find in many other places of the world.

Why not use that Australian-ness to get their interest instead of destroying everything which is truly Australian before we realize just how valuable it is.

That has been the history of settlement here: Will we ever learn just how wonderful and unique our flora and fauna really are?

Margaret Lund Woy Woy Bay