Sandy objections

Changes to Sandy Point beach have caused a ruckus amongst river users, as Hay Shire Council considers its options.

An alteration to Hay’s River Master Plan will be the subject of a Council report at its February meeting next week at the behest of a group of the town’s river users.

They are objecting to Section 9 of the Master Plan which lists the removal of the road at the beach.

The Plan was adopted in 2021 following a lengthy community consultation process, including major media coverage.

The objectors say the road has served all river users well for generation, with no safety issues.

Council recently closed that road after floodwaters dumped tonnes of soft sand on Sandy Point, thereby increasing the size of the beach.

The objectors believe this denied close access to the water, and inconvenienced all river users.

“This road is commonly used to unload and pack up boats and water sport equipment including both fishing and water-skiing,” the petition reads.

“The road also provides close viewing for elderly people who enjoy driving through the river and bend to watch water sports and pull over for a chat.

“Closing this road would inconvenience users of the river greatly and deter people from stopping in at the beach and viewing one of Hay’s best assets.”

Not everyone agrees.

Jade Auldist is an instrumental organiser of the highly popular Hay Fishing Classic which attracts people from throughout the region to Hay every year.

“As a parent, I feel as though both the road closure, and the new implementations work well,” Jade told The Grazier.

“It is common practice for people to speed along that road, and with that closure, knowing that families and children have increased safety and enjoyment, is reassuring.

“Additionally, our Fishing Classic office is located in that area, with high traffic, thus resultant in added safety.

“With many local and visiting attendees, feedback was extremely positive, both for appearance, functionality and enjoyment.

“People commented that it looked better, there was more space, feels and operates more like a beach.

“And with the seats being rusted away due to floodwaters, improvements will be for the betterment of many.”

A concerned grandmother who did not wish to be named, agrees.

“It is just an accident waiting to happen,” she told The Grazier.

“People are down at Sandy Point for fun; children are running around and it will only take one terrible accident for tragedy to occur.

“This will cause the road to be closed anyway.”