We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which we stand, the Garigal people of Guringai country, and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. The Northern Beaches branch is one of Surfrider Australia’s original branches and 20 years later is still going strong. Major campaigns over it’s life include the Warriewood Sewage Treatment Plant, protesting the proposed Collaroy/Narrabeen Seawall with the famous Line In The Sand, thwarting the proposed overdevelopment of Long Reef SLSC, the successful Fight for the Bight paddle outs, and currently the STOP PEP11 campaign to stop offshore gas drilling between Manly and Newcastle.
The branch has representatives on Council committees and works closely with environmental centres in Manly and Pittwater. The success of our committee is built on longevity of tenure through friendships of key personnel, along with a welcoming vibe towards new inductees and supporters. Beach cleans, school talks, Ocean Care Day, International Surfing Day, Ocean Friendly, campaigning and fundraisers are the ways we engage the public. We are always looking for new faces and bodies to lend a hand. Give us a call.
• President Brendan Donohoe
• [email protected]
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/surfridernb
• Instagram www.instagram.com/surfridernb/
• Photography by Aristo Risi @aristorisi
LOCAL CAMPAIGNS
PEP11
Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 is the licence to drill for offshore gas in the Sydney Basin. The area includes 4,500 square km between Newcastle and Manly. Surfrider Foundation Australia is opposed to seismic testing and offshore gas and oil drilling in Australian waters. Our nation’s oceans, waves and beaches are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that will be harmed as a result of the industrialisation of our coastline. Our community will NEVER accept a gas field off the coast of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Central Coast and the Northern Beaches. Gas drilling poses an unacceptable risk for ocean habitat, marine wildlife including migrating whales, and productive local fishing grounds.
WARRIEWOOD CLEAN WATER TESTING
Wamberal Warriewood Sewage Treatment Plant has been a long running commitment by Surfrider’s Northern Beaches Branch since Surfrider started in Australia in 1991. Campaigning over the long term has led to strategic alliances between Surfrider, local government surfers and beach lovers to apply substantial pressure to Sydney Water to upgrade the plant to tertiary (UV) treatment in 2000 and further capacity upgrades in 2012-13. The 2000 UV upgrade followed a vigorous campaign and landmark meeting involving Sydney Water, Surfrider Foundation and local surfers and residents demanding that Sydney Water ensure the upgrade was scheduled. In 2015 Surfrider Foundation Northern Beaches called for further upgrades for a deep ocean outfall (DOO) to be constructed following studies prepared by local volunteers concluding that the volumes proposed to be treated could never be satisfactorily recycled under the existing Sydney Water proposal. Wet weather overflow events have been causing problematic pollution of Warriewood, Mona Vale and Turimetta Beaches with concerns the pollution could have health impacts on local surfers and swimmers. Surfrider partnered with Save Our Waves in a series of water analyses directly following “overflow events” which show cause for alarm for impacting human health. As residential densities increase in the area it is apparent the sewage treatment plant as it currently stands will become increasingly less able to deal with volumes of throughput making the DOO the only realistic option to ensure water quality of an acceptable standard.
OCEAN FRIENDLY
The Surfrider Foundation Australia’s ‘Ocean Friendly’ program is an adaption of the Surfrider Foundation US ‘Ocean Friendly Restaurants’ program, created in response to increased pollution in the coastal zone and ocean gyres with the aim to stop excessive plastic entering our waterways. The aim of this national accreditation program is to reduce single use plastic at its source through the promotion of hospitality businesses & events along Australia’s vast coastline that undertake sustainable business practices. By encouraging businesses to take single use plastics out of their operations, we effectively stop plastic pollution from littering our beaches. During 2019 our Northern Beaches branch accredited over 60 local venues and school canteens as Ocean Friendly.
LINE IN THE SAND-SAY NO TO SEAWALLS
From its inception the Northern Beaches Branch has campaigned hard against the construction of a seawall along Collaroy Narrabeen Beach, first with a 3,000 signature petition then by showing decision makers these signatures were real by lining the beach with protestors in 2002. Our efforts saved the public paying for the construction and maintenance of a seawall stretching over 1.2km using the public beach for around 70% of its length and estimated to estimated cost of $14M plus ongoing maintenance.Surfrider continues to campaign for sand nourishment from identified offshore sources as the seawall is being designed using primarily private property and landowners money. Surfrider Gardens reserve acknowledges and commemorates “The Line In The Sand”campaign.
ENDANGERED WAVES – NORTH NARRABEEN
The Branch continues to work with Northern Beaches Council to best manage the iconic surf break at North Narrabeen. The man-made dune created following the 1974 storms to guard against flooding around the lagoon continues to grow and can cause wave quality issues. The break is essentially a “river-mouth” set up anchored by a rock reef but sand flow from the lagoon entrance has been greatly altered by this “Frankenstein Dune”. Discussions with government bodies continue to ensure that the world famous break continues to crank.
LONG REEF SLSC
Surfrider played a crucial role in twice thwarting extraordinary overdevelopment of the surf club at this glorious beach and headland. Plans included cafes, restaurants, office space and accomodation for up to 20 people using visually insensitive materials that would have desecrated one of Sydney’s most spectacular coastal locations.”You get the view, the view gets you” became our catch-cry and willing campaigns galvanized local surfers and other coast lovers to create a far more acceptable design. The commercialisation of SLSCs remains an important consideration as “stacking attractions” at the beach has obvious ramifications for beach user parking and the overall beach culture.