Beach change could see Aussie drivers pay for access
Preston Beach in Western Australia is becoming so popular with visitors a new levy might soon be introduced to keep numbers manageable.
A popular Aussie beach spot that's been "smashed" by four-wheel drivers lately may soon charge for vehicle access to the sand, after visitors left behind mountains of rubbish, vandalised bathrooms, parked where they shouldn't and mistreated public amenities.
The council controlling Preston Beach in Western Australia, about an hour and 20 minutes south of Perth, is contemplating a permit system for visitors hoping to take their 4WD cars on the sand, as the area grows in popularity to a point where the Shire of Waroona Council can't keep up.
Council eyes fee for vehicle access on beach
According to officials, the latest summer in particular saw a huge spike in visitors to the area. These visitors allegedly vandalised toilets, leaving them blocked in some cases, left behind mess and rubbish, and parked on the footpath instead of in bays, Shire of Waroona president Mike Walmsley said.
"If I could describe to you the state of some of public toilets... it is mind boggling why people would go to such an effort to do what they do," Walmsley told the ABC, adding he was no longer able to ignore the spiralling situation.
"The last thing we want to see is shut the beach altogether to 4WDs. The bottom line is our ratepayers are subsiding the cost of our visitors and we need to look at recovering the cost."
Hefty cost to repair clogged, damaged bathrooms
In just the space of a few days, council was forced to fork out $6,000 to fix the clogged bathrooms, a shire council document revealed.
In response, council is now looking at a beach-visitor management strategy, that could include a new permit system that will "inevitably" charge travellers to the area for beach access, but not local ratepayers.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted the council for comment with regard to the proposed permit system.
Preston just one of a number of Aussie beaches with same issue
Preston is one of a growing number of beaches in the country that has a problem with four-wheel drivers and their behaviour.
Last year, Yahoo News reported the Shire of Gingin council proposed to ban 4WDs on the sand at Lancelin altogether, to protect the vulnerable dunes and local environment.
The move was met with backlash from within the community, with some claiming the proposition "undermines one of the most amazing draw cards" that "encourages people to visit and invest in the town in the first place." Others said it would kill tourism, but many agreed the problem was growing.
In South Australia, speed limits were recently introduced at Goolwa Beach, about an hour south of Adelaide, after people celebrating Christmas in 2022 badly damaged the fragile sand dunes.
Mayor Keith Parks said it would take "years" for the popular beach to recover.
"The tracks made over the dunes by the 4WDs have opened up holes due to the high energy winds that this coastal area produces. It will still take many years to recover as the native vegetation is slow-growing," he said in December.
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