Like many Sydneysiders who live near the water, Lauren O’Neill bought a kayak during the pandemic for socially distanced exercise.
The 27-year-old from Elizabeth Bay followed the lead of other boat owners in the area and started chaining her kayak to the fence at Rushcutters Bay.
More than 100 boats, kayaks and paddle boards are left along fences at Rushcutters Bay and Beare Park.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“It’s been really nice to get out on the harbour and explore the water from a different perspective,” she said. “Paddling past fish, all the seabirds and the glimmering water is a really relaxing way to spend your time.”
From her perspective, seeing all the kayaks lined up along the fence brings “life and colour to the park” and is a visible reminder of the joy kayaking brings to so many residents.
But others see it differently. The City of Sydney has put up signs at Rushcutters Bay and Beare Park giving notice for owners to remove their property.
After May 17, council officers will remove any watercraft left behind, and store them for 28 days with a $220 fee payable for owners to retrieve them. Council reserves the right to sell them after that time.
Lauren O’Neill bought a kayak during lockdown, but now has nowhere to put it. Credit: Wolter Peeters
A spokesperson for the City of Sydney said it was acting on complaints from residents and park visitors about a significant build-up of about 130 kayaks, boats and paddleboards at Rushcutters Bay and Beare Parks.
Ms O’Neill lives in a tiny studio with no room for a kayak, and it is also too heavy to carry from her home to the waterfront. She has looked into private storage facilities nearby, but they were all fully subscribed, and prohibitively expensive.
“I’ll probably have to sell it on Gumtree, but it would be such a shame,” she said.
“I think it should be the objective of the council to look into ways to enable more people to enjoy our public spaces, rather than issuing signs and preventing people from getting out and being active.”
Ms O’Neill said the council should provide storage facilities.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Justine Waddington, who has lived in Potts Point for 30 years, does not even own a boat but was so outraged by the council’s stance that she has started a Change.org petition calling for it to provide racks for the storage of kayaks and canoes.
The petition points out that it is an area where many people live in apartments, often without parking or storage areas, and paddling on the harbour was a fitness activity that should be part of council’s wellbeing plan.
“Since I’ve been working from home, I often find myself down in Rushcutters Bay for walks and runs, and I’ve always loved that the kayaks have been there,” Ms Waddington said.
The council has given residents notice to remove the watercraft. Credit: Wolter Peeters
“I would have thought this was the perfect opportunity for Council to actually be really positive and say ‘isn’t it fantastic that this many people have kayaks and like to be outdoors and making the most out of our beautiful harbour, let’s figure out how we can best approach public storage’.”
The City of Sydney spokesperson said there were no plans to build storage facilities at Rushcutters Bay or Beare Park to accommodate the demand, and it had no existing storage for privately owned boats at any of the city council’s parks.
“A facility to safely store such a large number of boats and paddles would take up a significant amount of the area’s limited green open space and constructing such a facility would be inconsistent with the park’s approved Plan of Management,” the spokesperson said.
“Leaving equipment unattended on public land is a safety risk, restricts access to the area, makes maintenance difficult and negatively impacts landscaping and the look and feel of these spaces, which are used by the community for a wide variety of recreational activities.”
Ms O’Neill said she would be happy to pay a few hundred dollars a year for council storage, similar to what is offered by other councils.
Neighbouring Woollahra Council has dinghy storage at Rose Bay, Watsons Bay and Double Bay, with the website stating the waiting list is three to five years in all locations.
Inner West Council has watercraft racks at six waterfront parks, including along the Bay Run in Lilyfield and Rozelle and the foreshore around Balmain and Birchgrove, and the waiting list is up to two years.
A spokesperson for Inner West Council said the waiting list had increased slightly during the pandemic, but there had been no discussions at council about increasing the facilities.
The spokesperson said boats are sometimes chained to fences and trees without permission and when that occurs, the council removes them.
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