Narrabeen Lagoon is a much-loved treasure but it is also a dangerous place
Narrabeen Lagoon is one of the jewels of the northern beaches but it possesses a threat which has proven to lead to a high death toll than at most ocean beaches.
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Narrabeen Lagoon is one of the jewels of the northern beaches but beneath its surface lurks danger.
Due to dredging undertaken in the early 1900s, there are deep holes and trenches that are not only anoxic but were also blamed for several drownings.
In fact, at least 39 people have drowned in the lagoon and its creeks over the years – a higher death toll than at most ocean beaches.
And as number of those drownings were blamed on the unregulated dredging that was undertaken in the lagoon in the early 1900s.
From the early 1900s, local land owners began dredging sand from the lagoon to raise the level of their land and to deepen the lagoon and improve its amenity for boating.
Whether or not the permission of the council or the government was sought, everyone agreed that dredging the lagoon improved its amenity for boating.
But the manner of the dredging often left deep holes or trenches where there had been previously been a sandbank or the water was shallow.
The first hint of the problem came on January 4, 1914, when two women almost drowned after they unexpectedly found themselves in deep water.
As a Sydney newspaper reported: “The lakes are comparatively safe, but in places the depth of the water increases very suddenly, owing to the presence of deep holes”.
“Two of the bathers got into difficulties in one of these holes.
“They had been swimming for a considerable time and owing to exhaustion, were not prepared for the sudden plunge into the deep waterhole.”
Thankfully a man dived into the water from the Pittwater Rd bridge and brought the women to shore.
Less fortunate was a 17-year-old boy who drowned in the lagoon on December 27, 1925, after stepping into a deep hole.
As another newspaper reported: “Where kiddies used to paddle, the dredges have cut the sand away to a depth of 20 feet”.
“There is no warning sign.”
In the wake of the tragedy, Warringah Council agreed to erect warning signs wherever dredging had made bathing dangerous.
There was another tragedy on October 29, 1927, when a 12-year-old girl drowned in a hole left by a dredge.
A member of North Narrabeen surf club recovered the girl’s body from 20 feet of water and it was reported in the press that: “Following dredging operations, there are now very deep holes in the lake where before it was possible to wade”.
The following month Warringah Council agreed to erect warning signs around the Wimbledon Ave peninsula after the owner of the land had dredged a deep trench around the entire peninsula prior to subdividing it.
The Narrabeen Chamber of Commerce also asked the Lands Minister to ensure that any permits for dredging in the lagoon ensured the contractors dredged in such a way as to prevent the creation of deep holes or trenches.
On November 10, 1932, a member of South Narrabeen surf club rescued an unconscious 13-year-old girl who had fallen into a deep hole and again the press highlighted the problem.
“Narrabeen Lakes are becoming more popular every year and because of its many shallows parents consider it ideal bathing for children,” one newspaper wrote.
“A dredged channel and numerous potholes are, however, a constant menace for those unable to swim.”
On January 31, 1937, a 38-year-old woman drowned in the lagoon and at the inquest it was stated that her body was recovered from a deep hole.
On January 14, 1940, an 18-year-old man drowned in the lagoon and his body was recovered from a hole 20 feet deep.
After a three-year-old boy drowned in the lagoon on December 29, 1952, North Narrabeen surf club’s publicity officer, Bill Ford, said members of the club were willing to patrol the lagoon during holiday periods.
“In the last six years about 10 people have been drowned in the lake,” he told one newspaper.
“The lake has many potholes and a weak or non-swimmer can easily get into difficulties.”
On March 21, 1954, a seven-year-old boy drowned in the lagoon – the third boy to drown in the lagoon in four months – after which North Narrabeen surf club president Jack King told a reporter: “We offered to patrol the lagoon three years ago, but we came up against too much opposition.
“Warringah Shire Council should employ a lifesaver at weekends at the lagoon. “It is a death-hole.”
Another member of the club told the press: “Warringah Shire Council has sat back and ignored the procession of tragedies”.
“The lakes are filled with unmarked death traps for children.
“The Shire Council should employ a lifesaver at weekends.”
On January 18, 1959, a seven-year-old boy drowned in the lagoon and the police reported that he had drowned in a deep hole.
The following day, a local fisherman and prawner who had lived near the lagoon for 40 years, told a newspaper he believed “the deep and treacherous holes in it are the result of dredging for sand, which has been going on for some time”.
“Before the dredging began, the lagoon was shallow and safe all over.
“The pockets which have formed are very slimy round the edges, so that even adults can be trapped by them.”
In the same month, Warringah Council voted to spend £100 erecting 50 warning signs around Narrabeen and Curl Curl lagoons.
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