Call for better fencing and warning signs after fatal fall from Blackmans Bay clifftop
KINGBOROUGH Council has begun a site assessment of the clifftop area where a young woman lost her life on Saturday night.
KINGBOROUGH Council has begun a site assessment of the clifftop area where a young woman lost her life on Saturday night.
Margaret Mary Lore, 17, of Richmond, died near the Blackmans Bay Blowhole after losing her footing and falling 15m just before midnight. Ms Lore was with a group of friends who had gathered there in the area after a nearby party.
A small wire fence about one metre high is all that separates onlookers from the 20m to 30m high cliffs on the other side. The area is a favourite haunt for teenagers who jump into the water.
Locals have called for better fencing and warning signs after the tragedy.
Kingston Police Duty Inspector Dave Wiss has met with Kingborough Mayor Steve Wass and general manager Gary Arnold.
It is understood that Cr Wass and Mr Arnold also spent time at the site.
Council staff are assessing infrastructure and topography at the clifftop including fencing, fence heights and signage, said Councillor Wass.
“Any and every aspect of the area will be considered,” Cr Wass said.
“I am very shocked and very, very saddened, numbed really at the loss of life, particularly at such a young age.”
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The findings of the Council assessment will be handed to Tasmania Police and the Coroner, he said.
Kingborough councillor and local resident Dean Winter said while he could not speak on behalf of council about the tragic accident, he recalled swimming in the area as a youngster.
“I can’t imagine what friends and family are feeling,” he said.
“It’s a location that young people in particular have been accessing for many years. As a 17-year-old, I was doing pretty similar things around that area over the summer months.”
Social media tributes continue to flow for the former St Mary’s College and Guilford Young student.
A large handpainted sign with the words “We Love You Maggie” has appeared on a picket fence in Ms Lore’s hometown of Richmond.
Cr Wass acknowledged calls by residents for more signage along the coastal cliffs, which stretch from Tinderbox to Taroona, but said teenagers who wanted to access the area would use their phones as torches to illuminate the clifftops after dark despite the signage.
He said Council would follow the Coroner’s recommendations.
