Taylor Point owner Audrius Macernis hits back as tensions flare over beach access
Tensions have erupted at Taylor Point as the new landowner claims trespassers have set fire to his property, including a shipping container, while beachgoers claim a man has been unlawfully ejecting people from crown land.
The owner of an undeveloped coastal headland on the Cairns northern beaches has hit back at claims he has used heavy-handed tactics to eject dog walkers and hikers who encroach on his property.
Taylor Point owner Audrius Macernis has vehemently denied using excessive measures to keep people off his private land, saying he has been under siege by local residents who have set fire to his shipping containers and damaged tractors.
The 18.81ha parcel of land he now owns had been at the centre of community debate for a number of years in the lead-up to the $7m purchase in 2024, with many community members opposing its sale and petitioning for the state government to instead purchase the area.
Police have confirmed officers are looking into a series of alleged nasty confrontations at Taylor Point, which was previously regularly accessed by members of the public through a track on the property.
Posts shared on social media in recent days have gathered dozens of comments, with several people claiming to have been confronted by a man and his dog as they walked along the beach.
When contacted by the Cairns Post, Mr Maceris denied the allegations and said he was upset at how he had been treated since buying the land.
“That is absolute lies and people have taken every opportunity to try and hurt me,” he said.
“I had tractors damaged, people have tried to set containers on fire, I have been assaulted twice and people tried to cut hoses.
“A lot of people can’t be educated or helped. They are used to a 30-year-old habit and they don’t want people to interfere with that.
“That is the price I pay to protect Taylor Point.”
The land at Taylor Point was originally bequeathed to the Anglican Church by Josephine Blessas in 1969 to be used as a youth camp.
For years, a community-led campaign pushed for the state to buy the land in an effort to preserve the area as a green space but in September 2024 Robert Prettejohn sold the block to the Macernis Group Pty Ltd for $7m.
Following the sale, company director Mr Macernis said he was “committed to protecting, repairing and preserving” Taylor Point.
The engineer and inventor then erected no entry signs and blocked access from Moore Rd with mesh fencing, saying he would allow public access to the beach through his property to resume once his clean-up work was complete.
Now debate has raged about the landowner’s claim to the beach skirting the eastern perimeter of the property following reports Mr Macernis has been ejecting walkers from the foreshore.
Smithfield woman Gee Ingham claimed a man yelled obscenities and ordered her to get off his land while she was walking her dog at low tide last week.
“We walked along the beach where the water would normally be and this man came bundling down and said, ‘You are trespassing’,” she said.
“He said, ‘You are on my property’ and ‘You stupid people need to be educated’.”
Ms Ingham claimed the man pushed her, a claim firmly denied by Mr Macernis.
Police said Ms Ingham did not have any physical injuries, however, investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Mr Macernis strongly denied all of the claims.
A Cairns Regional Council spokeswoman confirmed the Taylor Point boundary line extended to the high water mark and in Queensland it was legal to walk along the beach, even if the adjacent land was privately owned.
“The Crown owns the land up to the high water mark at spring tide, meaning the public can access the beach area below this line,” a spokeswoman said.
In terms of the future of Taylor Point, Mr Macernis has previously said he did not believe in dividing up Taylor Point.
Since 2013 there have been approvals in place for an 18 lot residential subdivision and two public parks fronting the coastline.
In May last year, Macernis Group sought a minor change to the staging of the development approval which is currently under consideration by council.
On Thursday, Mr Macernis stood by his earlier intention not to carve up the land but said he did want to build “cottages” along the Mararna St boundary to end vehicle access.
“I don’t know if it will be cottages or houses to prevent four-wheel-drives but I have not engaged the architects. I’m not a developer to make money,” he said.
“I made it clear from the start I’m not into subdividing.”
In response to alleged attacks on machinery, Mr Macernis said he was living onsite in a caravan.
“Because there is so much crime so I’m here physically as a guardian,” he said.
There is no suggestion that anyone named in this article was responsible for any property damage at Mr Macernis’ property.
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