Residents in the seaside town of Esperance could be restricted from driving on its famous white beaches after an area of revegetation was vandalised by four-wheel drivers.
Key points:
- A fence at Warton Beach beach protecting a rehabilitation area was cut and driven across
- The Shire of Esperance’s president says driving on beaches could be restricted
- Four-wheel-drive tour operators say they would have to leave the area if bans were imposed
Dunes at Warton Beach on the eastern edge of Cape Le Grand National Park were damaged when a fence separating the beach from a rehabilitation area was cut and driven across.
It was the second time damage had been done to the area, after a vehicle drove off track and through a fence at Little Warton Beach last summer.
Shire president Ian Mickel said intentional damage from four-wheel driving was rare, but the shire would consider restrictions if it increased.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t under any circumstances, if we get too much damage from it we have to look at it seriously,” he said.
“It’s just vandalism at its worst.”
The dunes had been planted with native trees and shrubs over winter to repair erosion caused by driving on the beach and winter swells.
Mr Mickel said the incidents highlighted a lack of knowledge about the threat erosion posed.
“They are sandy dunes, they need coverage on them, they need appropriate vegetation planted there,” he said.
“Why a person would have done it … I just don’t understand.
“It’s not cutting off the driveway to Wharton Beach or Victoria Harbour, it is just protecting vegetation.”
Beach access a ‘privilege’
This year, Esperance’s Lucky Bay, in Cape Le Grand National Park, was voted one of the world’s top beaches for its clear water, white sand and “untouched nature”.
Driving on the beach is a popular pastime for locals and visitors to Esperance who use the coastline to access fishing and camping spots along the south coast.
Mr Mickel said restricting four-wheel-drive access to beaches was an option, but not one he would like to see implemented.
“I would be against stopping people from driving on the beach … I think that’s a great Esperance privilege that we have,” he said.
“We’re penalising those people that do the right thing, just because some idiots have done the wrong thing.”
The damage comes two weeks after the Shire of Gingin in the midwest tabled a report recommending four-wheel driving on beaches around Lancelin, Ledge Point and Seabird be reduced to prevent erosion.
Council’s ‘hands tied’
Esperance residents have raised concerns on social media about the possibility of being restricted from driving on the beach, a concern echoed by event operators in WA.
In May, Variety WA held a four-weel-drive tour from Warton Beach to the mining town of Kalgoorlie to raise money for the children’s charity.
The drive is held in different parts of the state each year, but event coordinator James Brownlee said restrictions in Esperance would mean an end to the event in the region.
Mr Brownlee said people needed to have greater consideration for the natural landscape and take a leave-no-trace approach or risk restrictions.
“Part of the job is talking to councils and landowners to gain access, and talking to them abut what we can and can’t do, where we can and can’t go,” he said.
“On the event itself, we travel with a support crew.
“[We’ve got] people coming in behind cleaning everything up as we go, so we leave it how we found it.”
Mr Brownlee said if attempts to reduce erosion were hampered by people driving where they shouldn’t, local and state governments would have few options.
“If the threat increases, then councils and the Departments of Parks and Wildlife, their hands are tied,” he said.
“They would have to start closing things off,” he said.