City of Darwin Lord Mayor against new fence for Esplanade cliffs despite two incidents in two weeks

DARWIN Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis has stuck firm to his opposition of installing a safety fence on the Darwin Esplanade, saying the existing fence should be enough to keep people safe.

DARWIN Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis has stuck firm to his opposition of installing a safety fence on the Darwin Esplanade, saying the existing fence should be enough to keep people safe.

It comes despite a man falling off the cliff early yesterday morning – the second accident in two weeks.

“It’s a very unfortunate, very tragic incident but unless I put a 2m fence with barbed wire, and even then that can be climbed, I don’t know what I can do,” Mr Vatskalis said.

“People need to realise there’s a fence there for a reason.”

Mr Vatskalis said the existing fence should be enough of a deterrent and warning for pedestrians. “We already have a fence there which came from a coronial inquiry over another fall a number of years ago,” he said.

“For somebody to fall off he has to climb the fence, go on the other side and lose his step.”

The cliffs of Darwin's picturesque Esplanade have been the site of two falls in two weeks. Picture: Che Chorley

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The 40-year-old man who fell off the cliff yesterday morning was lucky to escape with a fractured leg, after a man lost his life after an accident at the cliff last week.

NT Police Northern Watch Commander Len Turner said the “local Indigenous” man fell off the cliff just before 4.30am.

“Police received a call that a male had fallen off the cliff face of the Esplanade once again, this time a 40 year-old male was reported to have fallen off,” he said.

St John Ambulance Territory Duty manager Craig Garraway said it was “disturbing” to have had a second similar incident at the site in two weeks.

“Paramedics, police and fire all attended and were able to recover him and get him to Royal Darwin Hospital,” he said. “It was only last week we had a death there from someone falling off there so obviously it’s disturbing.”

The cliffs of Darwin's picturesque Esplanade have been the site of two falls in two weeks. Picture: Che Chorley

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NT Police allege the man may be related to a group of people who unlawfully entered the Deck Bar

“CCTV followed the offenders to the area on the Esplanade,” Commander Turner said. “While I can’t say for sure, it may be highly likely (that this person was related to that group).”

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