Maloneys Beach loses 'privilege' of direct water access, sparks community backlash

This follows a move by the Eurobodalla Shire Council and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to barricade the only road leading to the water in late May.

The closure of the dirt road means boats and other marine vehicles can no longer be launched directly into the calm waters at Maloneys Beach.

Brendan Hardy, a Maloneys Beach carpenter and father of two, read news of the closure online and estimates the road is used daily for fishing, crabbing and exploring the coastline.

Mr Hardy said he has been using the 120-metre dirt road to launch boats for decades and relished taking his kids fishing off the beach. He recalls his father using the same road in the 1980s.

He said the road has provided easy and safe access for locals and tourists launching boats, jet skis and kayaks for more than 40 years.

A council spokesperson confirmed the road is council land, and that an agreement was made with the NPWS to "revegetate" the road, effectively removing vehicle access to the shore.

Mr Hardy said the community was not "properly notified" about the access change, and many living in Maloneys Beach are confused and angry.

"The big question is why? They didn't do it the proper way."

However, a spokesperson for NPWS said they engaged with the local community, stakeholders and the council upon "upgrading" the Maloneys Beach visitor precinct.

Mr Hardy said the loss of access could create hazardous congestion in summer when thousands of tourists learn they can no longer launch marine vehicles via the road. The alternative is travelling south to the Hanging Rock boat ramp and crossing the sandbar, or trolleying boats 120 metres to the water.

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"They're forcing us to choose a dangerous option.

"We get a lot of people from Batemans Bay over here. In the summertime, the nor east wind is howling...but it's glassy here," Mr Hardy said.

He said the beach is safe for kids to swim because it is generally protected from wind and large swells.

The NPWS said the informal track was "not paved nor formally recognised as a boat ramp, and over time had caused damage" to the dunes.

The change comes as the NPWS recently launched the 34-kilometre multi-day Murramarang South Coast Walk, which suggests Maloneys Beach as a starting point for walkers undertaking the shorter "Maloneys Beach to South Durras walking track".

Over the last year, Maloneys Beach has seen a new car park, seating, shelters, concrete footpaths, signage and staircase installed, in preparation for the influx of visitors to the nature track.

The NPWS's master plan of the Murramarang South Coast Walk notes that Maloneys Beach provided an "appealing entrance" to the national park, but that appeal had decreased over time with "uncontrolled vehicle access" to the grassy foreshore.

"It's been pretty 'cloak and dagger'...unless you're in the loop and know where to look [you won't know about this development]," Mr Hardy said.

"They can say they consulted people. My biggest gripe is that they publish all these council letters and print all these pamphlets for elections, wasting thousands of dollars, but they can't have the decency to drop [this information] in people's letterboxes."

The Maloneys Beach Residents Association said the road in question "was never a gazetted road but rather an informal track created by numerous vehicle movements" and said the community were informed of the closure.

The association said they made submissions in response to the master plan for the Murramarang South Coast Walk and that access continues for many activities via the new car park.

Mr Hardy said the changes made to the Maloneys Beach foreshore will only accommodate a limited number of bushwalkers, with only 14 car parks available.

He is concerned that the new development is only benefiting tourists and simultaneously removing water access, which he believes is an attractive advantage for those who have bought (or are looking to buy) homes in the area.

"All the people with holiday houses - how were they notified?"

He said the environmental impact of creating the new car park, stairs, shelters and concrete footpath far outweighs the impact created by vehicles approaching the shoreline.

"They've just scalped the whole area. It has forced the kangaroos [further out]. I've hit two kangaroos on the road in the last 12 months - there are millions of kangaroos in Maloneys and this is now another area they can't hang out in."

A spokesperson for NPWS confirmed that the Aboriginal community can still access the beach for cultural fishing activities.