Mayor asks for help as Tennyson sand dunes get a seedy reputation for public sex and drug use
Sand dunes in one of Adelaide’s most prestigious beachfront suburbs have become a popular hook-up spot for gay men. Now the mayor has asked the State Government to help fix the issue.
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Men are having sex in broad daylight in sand dunes containing sacred Aboriginal burial sites near some of Adelaide’s most expensive homes, disgruntled residents have complained.
The Tennyson dunes have become a notorious gay beat and have even been promoted on adult websites as a five-star hook-up spot.
They have also developed a reputation as a hotspot for drug users to shoot up.
One Charles Sturt councillor was recently confronted by the sight of two men having sex in the afternoon, and worries it will discourage people from exploring the historic beachfront area.
Volunteers from the Tennyson Dunes Group, who care for the beach, are regularly finding used condoms and syringes in the sand and even near public pathways.
They have conducted regular clean-ups but the continued issues have left some residents scared to venture into the sandhills.
The Wara Wayingga-Tennyson Dunes Conservation Reserve is one of the few surviving examples of untouched dunes on the suburban coast.
It is a significant site to the Kaurna people, who feasted on waterbirds, fish and shellfish there for thousands of years.
The repatriated remains of elders are buried in the dunes.
Charles Sturt Council has already banned parking in the dunes carpark at night in an effort to discourage anti-social conduct but councillors have now asked Mayor Angela Evans to write to the State Government for more help.
She is contacting Police Minister Corey Wingard, Environment Minister David Speirs and the Natural Resources Management Board requesting an “intervention” including “increased surveillance and crime prevention strategies”.
Cr Sarah McGrath said it was “horrible” that the dunes could not be showcased for their environmental significance because of illegal behaviour.
She recently caught two men in the act during the afternoon. They fled after being seen.
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“You don’t know what you’re going to come across,” Cr McGrath said.
“I wouldn’t really feel safe going for a walk there by myself in the evening.
“The problem, I suppose, is you can’t get people to come and be educated about the importance of the dunes.”
She said police had so far been “incredibly helpful” and had begun conducting patrols of the area.
A member of the Tennyson Dunes Group declined to comment.
