Drivers erupt over new fee to access popular Aussie 4WD beaches
Locals and Aussie travellers argue that accessing the beach should always be free, but council is standing by its decision.
Residents near a string of popular Australian beaches have erupted at their local council over a $12 charge to gain access via 4WD.
Families intent on enjoying their summer by the water will be forced to cough up the fee for a day pass to Aldinga, Moana, Sellicks and Silver Sands beaches, around an hour's drive south of Adelaide, South Australia. City of Onkaparinga council told Yahoo News Australia it projects $375,000 will be collected over the upcoming summer as the fee rises from $8.
The fee will be collected by a not-for-profit volunteer group who will receive a third of the total amount, and the rest will go towards maintaining the environment and keeping the area safe. Last summer the volunteer group claimed 50 per cent of the amount collected, the Advertiser reported.
While residents who live in the local area are exempt from paying the fee, many argue that "no one owns" beaches, and they should be free to access.
Council uses fee to 'maintain foreshore'
Despite the backlash to the fee increase, which was last raised in 2019, council have defended their right to take a fee from beachgoers.
“The current fee reflects increasing costs to maintain our foreshore environment and manage safe use where vehicles are permitted,” City of Onkaparinga Council told Yahoo News.
Council said vehicle access has been regulated on parts of its foreshore since 1975, including imposing conditions such as setting vehicle speed limits on entrance ramps and on the foreshore. It also regulates access hours and exclusion areas over or along any sand dunes.
Drivers with a current Onkaparinga council vehicle beach access permit are exempt from paying the fee but those who travel on the beach without a pass will cop a $187 penalty.
Aussies erupt over $12 beach fee
On a social media post by council inviting volunteers to apply to the scheme, Aussies erupted about the charge.
"Beaches are free no one owns them," exclaimed one respondent. "They have no right to charge people to drive on the beach!! Regardless if it’s for charity."
"Good idea, I'll pay to drive on the beach I pay rates for," added a second.
Others pointed to the lack of sustainability of having cars on beaches, "No cars on the beach best sustainable and enjoyable way," said another.
Others thought the fee was a "great idea".
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Government crackdown on 4WD beaches
It comes a year after the South Australian government set new speed limits on beaches to protect both beachgoers and the delicate ecosystem from reckless drivers. Some SA beaches, like Goolwa Beach, face 'chaotic' scenes as the weather warms and Aussies take summer holidays.
While 4WD vehicles are still allowed on the beach, the default speed limit on South Australian beaches is 40km/h and 25km/h when travelling within 50 metres of a person. Previously a 100km/h speed limit applied on beaches.
"There’s nothing quite like descending onto the pristine expanse of South Australia’s coastline, but keeping yourself and others on the beach safe should always be the number one priority," South Australian emergency services minister Joe Szakacs said at the time.
"Speed was a contributing factor to about 50 per cent of all crashes on beaches between 2017 and 2021, so earlier this year the Malinauskas Labor Government committed to review speed limits on beaches as part of the Road Safety Action Plan."
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