June 4th 2008 Letter: West Point beach needs bollards The authorities continue to allow 4WDs on the West Point beach by not erecting bollards to restrict 4WD access on the beach. At around 5.30pm Saturday 24th May a black 4WD dual cab ute with big fat tires ran past the "No cars access on beach" signs & up and down West Point Beach. It nearly hit a bystander when the 4WD tried to avoid a log on the beach. At around 4pm Sunday 25th May a white contractor's ute with a ladder on it drove past the "No cars access" signs and ran up and down the beach. There were children playing near the sign and this could have been nasty event. For those 4WD owners who have the urge to drive in an isolated area please try some where else. Please remember that Beach restrictions at West Point are the same as beaches on THE STRAND. Rowes Bay, Horseshoe Bay and other Island beaches. It is about time that bollards were erected, a dry toilet and parking allocated so the hundreds of tourists who visit West Point each week to enjoy the place have some facilities. David John Ede, West Point Readers may be interested to check out ABC's Catalyst program "Crushing critters" (click here) in which it is revealed that a massive amount of very tiny creatures live in beach sand. They are the basis of a food chain that feeds fish and birdlife among other creatures and they are being wiped out in huge proportions when 4wds and other vehicles crush them whilst driving up beaches. Ed. To add your comment, see below

Letter: West Point beach needs bollards

8 comments

Chris C June 4th 2008

On ya David - I couldn't agree more

chasmac June 4th 2008

If anyone is interested in how the state makes decisions about dealing with negative impacts (natural and unnatural) on beaches in its jurisdiction, take a short trip to the Esplanade in Nelly Bay. You will see right in front of the houses at the western end that the foredune is collapsing and most of the established Casuarina trees have now fallen over. Acute, rampant beach erosion and foredune re-shaping - most likely directly attributable to constant (annual) disturbance of the sand under the Constitution Bridge - has moved the foreshore back about 20m until the Esplanade road pavement itself is under threat. The various Queensland Government agencies (EPA, QTransport, NRM) which have responsibility for sustaining the shoreline are apparently unaware of the problems they are causing. Bollards would have no effect. They are simply oblivious to their own destructive ingenuity. Along the West Point Track, new signs inform adventurous motorists that if they pass this point they will be prosecuted - not because they are idiots or because their cars will be damaged by the salt and sand etc. but because they are damaging the public assets on the beach, mangrove s or saltpan. Why not erect exactly the same sign at the end of the track to the beach at West Point and prosecute the first driver to go past it. It works with Green Zones, why not with beach fronts?

Bruce Williams June 5th 2008

Great ideas! Let's go further and demand a Police Station for West Point.

annie June 5th 2008

Beaches are not for cars, the island is a natural beauty. What a petrol driven motor, with destructive footprints has to do with naturalness is beyond me.

Jill June 5th 2008

Why is it that once we have purchased a 4WD we seem to assume we have also purchased the right to go anywhere we choose, just because the vehicle can cope? I wish it were not necessary to erect those ugly bollards to keep vehicles off the beach, but if that's what it takes, let's do it - and fast!

pete June 5th 2008

maybe a toll on the 'radical bay campsite' could pay for the bollards!!

Pat Coleman June 8th 2008

I dont know if West Point is a turtle nesting area , but i suggest that concerned members of the Magnetic Island Community get together with concerned residents of Bushland beach, Toolakea and Bluewater and present a united front . The 4wd community is a strong lobby .

liz October 1st 2008

I agree. Get these idiots off the beach. Driving over beaches is a dumb thing to do, harmful to wildlife and dangerous to beachgoers. Prosecute with heavy fines of $1000 if caught driving on the beach. Maybe they would think twice about their idiotic behaviour!