However, this year the local surf club has raised serious concerns about their ability to continue their beach patrol services. 

“The club is worried about public safety over the encroachment of a lagoon across Hungry Head Beach, restricting emergency access and creating health and safety issues for volunteers,” Urunga Surf Club president Vanessa Nugent said.

“The lagoon first appeared after storms in 2009 and now forms a large obstacle in front of the club, making it increasingly difficult for beachgoers and lifesavers to access the water, particularly with rescue and first aid equipment.”

While locals will attest that Dalhousie Creek has changed course many times in the past, both the depth and proximity to the lifesavers observation tower are at a level not seen in many years.Volunteers are forced at times to wade through waist deep, murky water to transport equipment to set up the beach patrol.

With the surf lifesaving season set to start on September 19, Vanessa said the club members and locals are worried that the risk to both lifesavers and the public has reached the point where something needs to be done.

“The lagoon affects the ability of the club’s volunteers to respond to incidents or emergencies as they can’t get rescue boats or all-terrain vehicles quickly onto the beach,” she said.

“An incident in April is a good example - a beachgoer suffering a serious dislocation had to endure a painful 15 minute drive along a 4WD beach track to then be transported to hospital.”

In the ‘old days’ the remedy for lagoon would have been fixed with a few hands and a couple of bobcats draining it into the ocean. But that’s a bygone era as now government regulations prevent shifting the sand sideways.

Indeed the Courier-Sun has been advised by council “the intervention approach to this issue will not be able to be undertaken in a short time frame” and “initial discussions with an environmental consultant indicate that any work to re-route the current flow from the creek would require development of a management plan, completion of a review of environmental factors, Crown Lands approval and Fisheries Department approval and other relevant State Government Departments”. 

In other words: a mix of bureaucratic red-tape with consultants that would cost local rate-payers an estimated $70,000.

It’s fair to say the situation has both council and Urunga Surf Club members fairly frustrated and looking for options.

“Council is trying to assist where possible and we’ve been working with our committee … but we really need something done soon to fix the problem – and soon,” Vanessa said.

“The lagoon is not only making it difficult for lifesavers, it’s also affecting tourism with beachgoers opting to swim at either Wenonah Headland Beach or Urunga Beach which are easier to access, but are unpatrolled and therefore more dangerous.

“The club has also been forced to withdraw its offer to host several major state or regional surf carnivals and competitions because of the lack of beach access, events which would have been good for the local economy by attracting hundreds of competitors.

“We’ve been as positive as we can and have tried to work around the problem for some time and we just feel it needs to be resolved for the sake of the safety of our volunteers and the public,” she said.

An extraordinary meeting to discuss the Dalhousie Creek issues will be held at 10am on Sunday, August 9 at the Urunga Surf Life Saving Club House. All junior and senior committee members, and all club patrol captains and vice-captains are advised to attend, as well as all other club members who are interested in hearing or having a say in what will happen to the patrols and nippers next season.