An ugly stoush over an idyllic South Coast beach overlooked by multimillion-dollar houses has pitted dog walkers against nearby home owners and left the council struggling to keep the peace.
Shoalhaven City Council agreed last week to permanently shrink the section of Narrawallee Beach where dogs can run off-leash after legal action from residents, but will now revisit its decision after councillor Patricia White called on it to do so amid a furious backlash from dog owners.
Dog walkers have had their access to Narrawallee Beach restricted.
“We’ve got $12 million houses in this area, and neighbours are picking on each other, and it is really destroying the neighbourhood,” White said.
The measures endorsed by the council last week were put in place after the Narrawallee Beach Environmental Group took the council to the Land and Environment Court over its dog policy last year, securing a narrow victory.
Dog walkers can no longer use the main stairs to access the beach or a rocky outcrop where owners used to sit while their dogs played. However, they can still use a more remote bush track to get to the timed off-leash area.
Lisa Martin, who has been walking her spoodle, Frank, on Narrawallee Beach for six years, said the lack of easy access to the beach and places to sit now meant her elderly friends and their pets could no longer join her.
Houses overlooking Narrawallee Beach have sold for up to $12 million.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“We’ve got a really elite minority group who just want the beach to themselves,” said Martin, who is secretary of advocacy group Paws 4 Shoalhaven, adding the stoush had become increasingly ugly.
“I’ve seen a lady wielding a stick, threatening to hit any dog that comes near her … There are people hiding in bushes with cameras, trying to catch people with non-compliance with the rules.
“People down here are fairly laid-back – the ‘live and let live’ type thing – but this has really divided the community, and it’s sad on both sides of the debate.
“It’s starting to feel elitist … They want the best part of the beach and the best access to the beach, and they’re not prepared to share that.”
Phil Bradshaw, from the Narrawallee Beach Environmental Group, rejected the suggestion the group wanted the beach for themselves.
“Dog owners are not the only people that use Narrawallee Beach,” he said. “There’s a broad community of families, children, surfers, people who run boot camps … so the idea that one group is trying to reserve it for themselves is utter nonsense.
“It’s not mandatory to like dogs. A lot of people, especially women and children, are frightened of dogs, and anything that minimises potential for conflict has got to be a good thing.”
Bradshaw said residents formed the group after the council failed to act on their concerns about dogs on the beach, including clashes between people and animals on the access stairs, which arose after the council first voted to allow off-leash dogs on Narrawallee in 2015.
Lisa Martin, of Mollymook, walks Frank on Narrawallee Beach.Credit: Wolter Peeters
He said members were happy with the latest compromise that restored balance by preserving dog-free areas at each end of the beach and providing 500 metres in the centre for off-leash dogs morning and afternoon.
Thirteen residents, including some whose homes overlook the beach, told the court last year on behalf of the environmental group that dogs had attacked them and chased their children, and dog owners had verbally abused them, left dog faeces on the beach and let their dogs urinate on handrail posts.
The group succeeded in reclaiming a small section of the off-leash area. In November, after an environmental review, the council also removed on-leash access from the southern end of the beach and from the main stairs due to concerns about shorebirds.
Group member Peter Murray, who has been visiting Narrawallee for 25 years and owns a home directly overlooking the beach, told the council in November his children were too scared to play there.
Dog walkers give their pets some exercise on Narrawallee Beach on Wednesday afternoon.Credit: Wolter Peeters
He said an off-leash pit bull terrier also attacked him and scratched his big toe, but the dog’s owner dismissed his concerns, telling him it was a “dog beach, mate”.
“The council has lost control of the dogs in the community. We are seeing the worst of it on our beach,” Murray said, adding Narrawallee now attracted dogs from all over the district and suggesting up to 130,000 a year use the beach. Martin said the figure was about 42,000, however, and most owners were considerate.
Mayor Amanda Findley told the meeting she avoided morning walks on Narrawallee because of the number of dogs.
“I’m very sorry to hear … how terribly wrong a decision of this council has gone, and escalated,” she said, referring to the council’s original decision to allow dogs off-leash.
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