Boom causing ‘real fear’ in community

'We’re not a theme park...there are real fears in the community about the numbers of people here in relation to Covid,' says Mayor.

"We're not a theme park."

Like many locals, Bellingen Shire Council mayor Dominic King has been blown away by the numbers of visitors in town in recent weeks.

"I've lived here fifteen years and haven't seen anything like it; but I don't think anyone has seen anything like this."

Traffic was banked up and restaurants and shops packed on Tuesday.

One shop assistant said it was even busier last week.

Footpaths were crowded with little evidence of people observing social distancing protocols.

"There are real fears in the community about the numbers of people here in relation to Covid, but we can only be guided by NSW Health," Mr King said.

"People have asked what Council can do about it, but we can only ask that people adhere to rules set down."

Coffs Harbour and other regional areas like Byron Bay have experienced a dramatic increase in short-term rental bookings these holidays, with Aussies forced to swap overseas trips with getaways on home soil.

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Mr King understands businesses have been doing it tough and that visitors are drawn to Bellingen for its unique character, but says the town's facilities and natural resources can't sustain such a large number of visitors.

"We certainly don't have the capacity to manage this. We have to ask: how can we manage the extra pressure on systems like sewerage and water.

"Places like Byron have had to build bigger infrastructure but the ratepayers have to pay for that."

Places like Glennifer to the northwest of town with its picture-postcard water holes and lush rolling hills are on the 'to do' list for most visitors.

"We don't have any land there that's not flood prone, so there are no toilets out there. People go to the toilet and just leave it there and everybody loves to take their dogs too.

"We just don't have the capacity to manage the numbers of visitors and it's all adding pressure on our fragile ecosystems - we don't want to kill the goose that laid the golden egg which is our natural environment."

He would like more consideration given to the idea of a bed tax whereby visitors pay a levy to help cover costs.

"The extra numbers all add pressure on our systems but we don't get any extra funds. The State Government shouldn't expect local councils to foot the bill all the time."

With the so-called 'Avalon cluster' impacting plans for a return to more traditional festive celebrations a level of fatigue is creeping in.

"I was just watching the news about that post-thanksgiving Covid surge in the States and I think there's a certain lethargy around being isolated for so long which has led to people dropping their guard a bit."

In March Bellingen Shire was on the front foot responding to the pandemic taking a unique community approach, with medical professionals banding together to create their own clinic despite a lack of government funding.

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