Complaint at Aussie beach sparks fierce debate among locals
A beachside park has upset Aussies who've slammed a lack of action as 'negligence'.
A patch of grass has divided residents on the NSW South Coast.
Many in Kiama have taken issue with a beachside park, seemingly left unattended by the local council.
In a series of photos posted to a community Facebook page, one unhappy local shared his disgust.
“No comments,” he simply wrote beside two images of uncut grass, with the significantly long lawn engulfing a metal railing.
Others were quick to jump to his side of the fence.
“That’s what you call a council bludger,” one person said. “When I used to live at Kiama in 2004 they used to keep it clean and everybody used to lay on the grass.”
“We noticed it on our walk this morning, it’s been getting progressively worse,” another commented.
One local claimed elderly residents had taken it upon themselves to mow nearby Eureka Reserve “so people can walk in it without losing their dogs”.
“Kiama Municipal Council, what the hell is going on!” they wrote.
‘More important things to worry about’
But the grass was greener for some who welcomed the “lush” change.
“Get over it brother,” one local responded on the Facebook post. “There are more important things to worry about, seriously.”
“Mate the grass is growing quicker than you can sink a cold beer on a hot summer’s day so just enjoy the beach and chill my dude,” another said.
On Thursday, Kiama Municipal Council announced plans to halt all roadside mowing operations in order to spray for a destructive weed.
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“Giant Parramatta grass (GPG) is tall, aggressive perennial grass that poses an emerging threat to our local dairy industry,” the council said online. “The grass invades pastures and replaces productive grass types used for grazing.”
The update went on to explain the Illawarra District Weeds Authority was currently spraying for GPG and mowing would resume once the ‘all clear’ was given.
However the man behind the Facebook post wasn’t happy.
“Yeh I saw that,” he responded to a fellow social media user who flagged the update. “But Surf Beach carpark wouldn’t be roadside. Looks more like negligence.”
Kiama Municipal Council has since confirmed to Yahoo News Australia that "the grass around Surf Beach was not part of the roadside Parramatta Grass spraying".
"The mowing has been delayed there, and in other areas, due to staff shortages and the recent warm-and-wet weather causing the grass to grow abundantly," a spokesperson said. "The areas around Surf Beach will be mowed this week."
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