Some residents believe it's a bit too quiet these days, and that changes to the access have turned the beach into a "ghost-town".

The access issue has been ongoing since May 2024, with sections of the community expressing varying opinion on the work that has been done.

One of the residents giving a face and voice to real concerns and implications to the change in access at Maloneys Beach, was Marilyn Himmelberger.

Ms Himmelberger and her niece Tracey Seckold and Tracey's daughter Katie were on the beach fishing and enjoying the sun. Katie has a wheelchair and is unable to walk the distance from the new car park to the beach.

The stretch of newly revegetated track, previously a non-gazetted road, is hard going for a wheelchair.

Ms Himmelberger said Maloneys was once the "ideal" beach for her great niece due to the gentle nature of the surf, and the protection from the wind.

"It's very gentle, it's very rare that it is rough and it's just perfect. But now....there wasn't easy access before but there was access for the wheelchair. Now there's none.

"I have great grandchildren and I think it's the perfect beach for them...it's not only children but it's elderly people.

"My husband was very ill... but he was able to come down here and have a lovely swim without, again being smashed, and it was easy for him to get onto the beach," she said.

Ms Himmelberger and her niece had carried Katie down, but now Katie is getting older, this is getting harder.

The issue of access to Maloneys Beach continues with several upset residents, including Ms Himmelberger and her niece, meeting with Andrew Constance this week at the site.

This meeting comes one month after resident Michael Stavroulakis presented a petition of 916 signatures, collected in support of reinstating access to the beach, to Eurobodalla council.

Mr Stavroulakis said it came as a shock to many beach users when National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) installed several bollards preventing cars from driving along the previous access track the 120m to the beach.

The residents that met with Mr Constance on April 16 represented the portion of the community that believed due process was not followed and community consultation was lacking.

Meanwhile, Geoff Davis, a resident and key advocate for returning the access, contacted Mr Constance after he was pre-selected for Gilmore.

Mr Constance met at the site with Mr Stavroulakis, Mr Davis and up to 20 other concerned community members.

As the community members gave voice to their varied concerns, Mr Constance asserted that this was "common sense stuff".

He said his concern that possibly no consultation around access had been undertaken with emergency and volunteer services, such as surf clubs, Marine Rescue and the RFS.

Additionally Mr Constance was concerned about access for the broader community.

"You can bet a million bucks nobody bothered to check what the access issue was for people with disabilities, and of course also our senior community, and they have gone and basically killed dead ...what was a really important social gathering spot," Mr Constance said.

"To me it just needs to be simply reversed by taking out three bollards and just giving the community back, you know, a council asset."

Mr Constance said he believed it would take leadership at a council level to get it reversed.

Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher said he was surprised by the candidate for Gilmore's comments.

"As the region's state representative for 18 years - and a senior minister when this work was being planned - Mr Constance is well aware council has no jurisdiction over National Parks and Wildlife Service land," he said.

"Nor does it have any ability to reverse decisions made by state departments, including National Parks.

"There are two sides to every story. Plenty of Maloneys Beach residents are happy with the outcome of the NPWS work and council's subsequent closure of the adjacent track.

"We acknowledge and respect that some people are not, however, it is my understanding that even if council were to reopen the track, it's a track leading to a sensitive dune environment where it's highly unlikely any state agency would permit any infrastructure, let alone boat launching facilities."