COAST COMMUNITY tVheoicneorofth 9 SEPTEMBER 2020
ISSUE 205
REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS
News
Please don’t fence us out
The Entrance MP, David Mehan, has launched a petition calling on Central Coast Council to fund a footpath extension... See page 3.
Out&About
Tucked away in the grounds of The Entrance Community Centre is a flourishing, bright and special garden in remembrance... See page 17
Health
Bateau Bay residents don’t want a fence to limit access to views like this
More than 300 Bateau Bay residents have petitioned National Parks and Wildlife Service to protest against a proposed fence along the boundary of Wyrrabalong National Park. Residents say the fence would limit access to a popular 1.6km Coast Track, which is renowned for its spectacular views and whale watching lookouts between Bateau Bay Beach and Crackneck Point Lookout. Instead, they say, money spent on building a 500m fence would be better used on fixing the badly degraded walking track and repairing the poor state of this pocket of national park. “Bateau Bay residents recently discovered, almost by accident, that National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS)
plans to put a fence along Reserve Dve, from Rushby St to Guyagal St, to stop people gaining access to this section of the park ,” a resident, Denice Barnes, said. “Instead of wasting money on a fence that will do nothing to stop people walking in the bush, which is public land, it would be good to see some actual improvements to the walking track and some properly constructed access points,” she said. In their petition to NPWS, residents say that building a fence and blocking all entry and exit to the park along this stretch would endanger residents and visitors, restrict the access of emergency services, damage vegetation during construction and maintenance, compromise the visual amenity of the area, deplete funds that should be
used to maintain the badly degraded Coast Track and to eradicate weeds, as well as improve the health of the bushland and habitats. The 500m fence would block access to a popular side track from Reserve Dve to a lookout point near Burrawong St which has been used for more than 40 years. Main access to the track is from the Rushby St carpark and residents say blocking the Burrawong St track would only place added pressure on what would be the only other entry/ exit point, the heavily eroded Guyagal access track. They want to see properly constructed and maintained lateral access points for people to take in the spectacular views from the park. They are also concerned the NPWS has not held any
community consultation, nor provided any of the necessary information to residents, emergency services and other parties involved. Surveyors have already placed markers in preparation for building the fence. Another resident, Melinda Sheldon, said a fence would endanger residents by forcing them to walk on the road to reach either the carpark entry or Guyagal track, or the Rushby St carpark, particularly in areas where the verge is not maintained and visibility to traffic is limited. “Another problem is erosion on the main track caused by overgrown vegetation blocking a channel which once funnelled excess water out and over a cliff,” she said. “Council used to maintain that drain and it worked, but
NPWS stopped them doing that, and because it hasn’t been maintained, now the water just runs straight down the main track, eroding it, carrying soil and rocks, and causing a lot of damage and creating the hazard of exposed tree roots,” she said. “If NPWS would simply put some work into maintaining the main track, that would discourage people from cutting through the bush and eliminate the need for any fence and encourage people to use what is a wonderful asset for our community.” Barnes said the plan for the popular Coast Track is a stark contradiction to what the State Government announced last year, which was specifically aimed at improving access, picnic facilities and walking tracks. See page 4 for more
A Central Coast health worker has called in from Melbourne’s frontline with a stark message for locals: the Covid threat is real and still very much alive. See page 33
Sport
A little bit of history was made at Wyong Race Club over the weekend, with Rachel King becoming the first ever female jockey to claim the Wyong Cup in the 122nd running of the prestigious race. See page 40
Puzzles page 19
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