Signs installed after seven years

Gosford Council has installed four interpretive signs on Ettalong and Ocean Beach dunes seven years after it provided the funds for the work.

The signs illustrate the role dune vegetation plays in the coastal eco-system including stabilisation of the dunes, provision of habitat for native flora and fauna and the provision of a natural break from prevailing southerly winds.

They have been installed along The Esplanade between Ettalong and Ocean Beach Surf Life Saving Clubs.

The council provided a grant for the installation of the signs in 2004.

The delay in installing the signage is believed to have been due to the reluctance of council staff to include wording on the signs that might be interpreted as prejudicial to the Ettalong Foreshore Plan of Management or to include reference to climate change.

However, Gosford Council's Natural Open Space coordinator Mr Larry Melican said he did not know why it had taken so long to have the signs erected.

"I don't really know but my understanding was that the community group got a grant through council.

"I guess the text of the signage and the artwork was being run by the community group and Council has to ensure the text and graphics are of an acceptable standard," he said.

Mr Melican said delays may have been caused by changes to the signage.

"They have been back and forth a few times with changes and each time that happens there can be delays.

"If it were a council project, it would have happened smoother, but when you've got the community group running the artwork and text art of it there can be delays.

"I think the good thing is the signs are up and provide that information about the dunes.

"That was the intention.

"Any delays that have happened are unfortunate but the final product is really good."

Gosford Council's Coastal and Estuary officer Mr Warren Brown said dune vegetation helps to protect both public and private infrastructure from coastal processes such as beach erosion and recession.

"Members of Peninsula Dunecare have worked tirelessly to regenerate the dune vegetation which is under immense pressure from weed invasion and vandalism," he said.

"The signs were designed to reach out to the wider community and provide a strong, positive message about the importance of maintaining this fragile environment."

"It is to be hoped that the new signs along part of the Esplanade will help to make everyone's visit to the area that much more interesting and perhaps encourage them to find out more and more about the other species which share this part of the planet with us," said Dunecare member Ms Margaret Lund.

Media Release, 17 Jun 2011 Warren Brown, Gosford Council