Iconic Aussie beach to get makeover

This illustration released by the Waverley Council shows the new proposed look of Bondi Beach. Picture: AFP/Irene Still Source: AFP

AUSTRALIA'S Bondi Beach is set for a major makeover, with concrete car parks to be replaced with grass, trees and a boardwalk in an ambitious overhaul of the world-renowned site.

The draft proposal, which local authorities hope will cement Bondi's status as a world-class tourist destination, will see large areas of the foreshore currently devoted to parking turned into green space.

The Bondi Pavilion, a beachfront arts and cultural space dating back to the early 1900s when it housed Turkish baths and a ballroom, would also be restored as the "grand entrance" to the beach under the 10-year plan.

"Bondi Beach is Sydney's third-most popular attraction, after the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, so we have reached for the sky with this bold plan," said Waverley Council mayor Sally Betts.

"We were conscious of preserving Bondi's heritage and character while finding ways to enhance and boost its cultural vitality".

Bondi attracts an average of 2.2 million visitors every year - 1.1 million of them from abroad - with almost half of all international tourists to Sydney making the trip to the renowned one-kilometre stretch of surf and sand.

It is most popular with British, Chinese and American visitors according to the New South Wales state tourism authority.

Betts said the overhaul, which will be open for community comment until the end of May, would see a large area of the beachfront become pedestrian-only, with a new boardwalk, waterfront cafes and beach volleyball courts.

New car spaces would be dug underground and parkland established over the top, increasing green space by 15 percent, with a tree-lined boulevard leading to the Pavilion which will serve as a gateway to the beach.

"There are so many different reasons people come to Bondi and love Bondi, and we have tried to balance those varying uses and needs," said Betts.

Bondi, which takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning the sound of breaking waves, lies seven kilometres from central Sydney.

This illustration released by the Waverley Council shows the new proposed look of Bondi Beach. Picture: AFP/Irene Still Source: AFP

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Shark chases sick shark onto beach

Bull shark beached at Noosa following chase. Picture: Twitter @juliekorner Source: Twitter

Noosa beachgoers and bull shark this morning. Picture: Twitter @JulieKorner Source: Twitter

LIFESAVERS have closed one of Australia's most popular beaches after a surfer saw a large bull shark chasing a "sick" shark, and the body of a bull shark washed up on the sand.

Noosa Surf Club lifesavers on Queensland's Sunshine Coast pulled a dead 2m bull shark from the water following another shark sighting.

In pictures: Australia's 12 deadliest creatures

Lifesaver Rob Neely reported that a fellow surfer "with me saw a four to five-foot shark followed by about an eight nine-foot shark in between us".

"It appears the larger shark was chasing the sick shark and it wallowed in the white water for a fair while with people looking on.

"When we came back in wondering why there was nobody in the surf, there were people yelling that there were sharks in the water and I just went up and went out and grabbed it by the tail."

Noosa's main beach has been closed until it is deemed safe to reopen.

At the surf clubhouse lifesaver Richard Higham said sharks were rare at Noosa Beach.

However, a large tiger shark, possibly three metres long, was spotted patrolling the waters of Noosa National Park in January and a 4.78m pregnant tiger shark weighing 500kg was captured off nearby Yarooma Beach.

Scientists say bull shark sightings increase following floods because of the species'  breeding habits.
 

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The world's best beach revealed

Grace Bay in the Turks and Caicos Islands also made the best beaches list. Picture: Thinkstock Source: news.com.au

Holiday favourite: Rabbit Beach in Italy. Picture: Thinkstock Source: news.com.au

WITH crystal clear water, white sand and a "unique setting", this is the ultimate beach destination, and you've probably never heard of it.

Rabbit Beach in Lampedusa, Italy, has been voted the world's best beach by travel site TripAdvisor, based on the reviews of millions of travellers.

The European holiday spot is also famed for its marine life with loggerhead turtles going there to lay their eggs.

Click here to find out which beaches are the world's best

Coming in at second place in the top 10 list was Grace Bay at Providenciales, Turks and Caicos islands.

Australia's Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays made the number three spot and was described as a "piece of heaven" for its pristine condition.

TripAdvisor also released a separate list of Australia's top 10 beaches, with Cable Beach in Broome, WA, Manly Beach, NSW and Cottesloe Beach in Perth making the cut.

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Life's no beach on the Gold Coast

Damaged walkways at Miami Beach. Picture: Gold Coast Bulletin

EASTER tourists will have to find things to do other than go to the beach, say tourism bosses, as the Gold Coast city council delays moves to repair erosion damage.

With hundreds of thousands of tourists expected here for the Easter break in late March, the city will be without its main drawcard after this month's wild weather.

The Gold Coast City Council yesterday resisted major restoration of the badly battered beaches until April - too late for tourism operators and retailers looking to cash on the traditionally lucrative Easter holidays.

Tourism bosses last night backed council decision, saying it was "doing what it can, when it can", and the closure of beaches due to the poor weather had a "minimal" effect on tourism.

But they are at odds with tourist-based businesses which say the erosion has already had an adverse effect which will only become worse in the lead-up to Easter.

All Coast beaches have been damaged by big seas and wild winds, with the worst erosion damage from Main Beach to Miami where sand cliffs have been carved out.

Mayor Tom Tate yesterday said the council had allocated $800,000 to dredge 60,000 cubic metres of sand from the Broadwater.

Weather on the Gold Coast continues to thrash the beaches causing more erosion. Picture: Gold Coast Bulletin

Of this, 20,000 cubic metres would be dumped on to Surfers Paradise beach in mid-April. The remaining sand would be stockpiled for emergency use.

The mayor said a long-term fix to the beach erosion problems would only be looked at after those "nourishment works".

"The reality is that beaches are a natural phenomenon and we will forever struggle with Mother Nature," he said.
Gold Coast Airport boss Paul Donovan commended the council's actions, saying: "You've got to plan these things.

He said the beach was not the only drawcard for tourists.

"People come to the Gold Coast for lots of reasons, not only the beaches, but obviously seeing the images they're splashing across the television may deter people from coming here.

Beach erosion in the Main Beach and Narrowneck area's of the Gold Coast.

"Obviously it's a major drawcard but there's a lot of other things to do."

Gold Coast Tourism chief executive Martin Winter said visitors would return before too long.

"This has come during an off-peak period and after an excellent summer holiday season, with both weather and visitors performing well for the Gold Coast," he said.

"With a return to good weather and still a medium lead period into the important Easter holiday season, we expect the current impact on the Gold Coast's $4.5 billion tourism economy to be noticeable, but minimal."

Gold Coast Surf Academy owner Johnny Preston said the damaged beaches had put a huge dent in his business and urged the council to come up with a faster and better solution.

"The council can patch it up but they need to come up with long-term repairs," he said.

"It's got a huge flow-on effect."

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