Keep wonderful Bithry as intended.

This April, I was fortunate enough to participate in a week’s bushwalking through Mimosa Rocks National Park with a group of like-minded companions.

The wild beauty of this area with its near- pristine beaches, ancient rock formations and relatively unspoiled bushland was a source of constant delight and a balm for our souls.

Our route included the colloquially named “Sacred Thong” site and the Penders area.

While walking towards the crossing at Bithry Inlet I noted the rock plaque dedicated to the Myer/Grounds families thanking them for the gift of land to the people, and at the time assumed this meant this area would be returned to the community for all to access.

Imagine my dismay when our group returned to Bermagui and I read the front-page article by Derek Schwarz “Battle for Bithry” (BDN, 13/4).

I learned that contrary to the intentions of the Myer/Grounds gift, the NPWS (a government department surely not usually known to be a developer) is planning to use buildings on this site for commercial purposes – presumably for the selected few who could afford it.

Why is the government initiating such a backward move so obviously contrary to the wishes of the land donors?

Although I am not a local resident (being from Sydney), I appreciate being able to leave behind the pressures and noise of city life to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of untrammelled bushland and beautiful waterways.

Bithry Inlet is surely as good as it gets!

At a time when coastal areas in NSW are under unprecedented pressure from built developments, there has never been a greater need to reserve some natural areas for environmental healing and for people to return to the simple pleasures of walking, swimming and quiet contemplation in undeveloped bushland settings.

Surely the Minister for the Environment will see sense and put a stop to any proposed holiday accommodation here.

Furthermore, it makes no sense for NPWS to compete with local commercial accommodation businesses trying to make a living not far from Bithry Inlet.

I am grateful your newspaper alerted me to this issue and can only hope the local NPWS representative, along with his senior managers, will see fit to reconsider the proposal to develop the house, barn and gardens.

Please, keep this wonderful place as intended and return it to the people.

Adrienne Shilling

Petersham

Limited protection

Last week the Federal Government declared the last 30-50 of our genetically distinct group of Strzelecki koalas as “vulnerable”.

That declaration only impacts on developments on private land.

Sadly, federal responsibilities for threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act have been devolved to state governments for all forestry areas that are covered by a Regional Forest Agreement.

The full court of the Federal Court held that, in areas covered by an RFA, it is presumed that the protective mechanisms envisaged by the RFA protect the relevant species, even in circumstances where they in fact do not.

There is no requirement to actually protect the species.

Last Friday, the Biodiversity Fund round one projects were announced - $2,646,500 has been approved for the Southern Rivers CMA to support restoration of the koala and long-nosed potoroo habitat here on the South Coast and $2,827,100 was approved for Bega River and koala habitat recovery to return koalas to the Bega Valley.

Both these projects, covering the next six years, are restricted to private land, whereas the critical adverse impact on koala habitat corridors occurs in our State Forests.

Thankfully $1,935,000 has also been approved for Forests NSW and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage to protect, enhance and connect habitat sustaining the last known koala population in NSW Far South Coast forests.

This project will “protect 2800ha of core koala habitat, create harvest exclusion zones on State Forest and support initiatives to locate alternative timber resources, establish partnerships with indigenous communities and introduce integrated monitoring and management actions to improve the recovery potential of the koala population”.

This situation has finally been recognised by our governments as important.

Hopefully this will at last see the end of the decimation of our critical habitat forests around Gulaga and Biamanga National Parks.

It will allow the recovery of our unique koala population along with many other species whose lives have been so violently disrupted by government-sanctioned vandalism.

Perhaps it will also see the end of so many of us having to interrupt the work of logging contractors stupidly and illegally sent in there by our NSW Government.

Could this senseless war finally be over?

Seán Burke

Central Tilba

Koala preference

Please explain

At the risk of sounding like I’m coming out of some intellectual closet here, from all the information made available, koalas don’t like National Parks, they prefer forests!

Why don’t koalas like National Parks?

Does the sound of machinery help them relax?

If so, what is the point of making forests National Parks? Please explain.

John Cafe

Bega

Tourist dollars

driving away

As a long-term resident of Tathra it distresses me to watch a coach with 44 people on board attempt to visit the historic Tathra Wharf, only to see the coach back up and turn around and drive out of town.

Tourist money that drives out of town, money that does not leave their pocket, money that the business houses of Tathra need to continue their business.

This has to stop – we have the one and only deep water historic wharf, that if situated on any other headland in NSW, tourists would be beating a path to visit.

What do we do?

Put up a sign stating no buses, mobile homes and caravans can access this road.

What a joke.

A historic wharf, food outlet and soon a museum, with no parking and no ring road.

When the early morning fishermen and women arrive there are few or nil spaces to park other than near the entrance to the road.

Enough is enough – the time of years of talking has long ended, what we need is some action.

At the present time we have a person conducting the lower level food outlet.

She is pleasant, friendly and has a delicious array of cakes and slices to offer, but if the ring road and extra parking is not forthcoming, alas she will go the same way as other operators – bankrupt.

Come on residents of Tathra, come on councillors of the Bega Valley Shire, what does Tathra have to offer for tourists?

Little but a historic wharf that I have noted others would move heaven and earth to have a good access for all types of vehicles, that would mean enjoyment to all – and leaving a trail of tourist money behind in Tathra.

This must stop – it cannot continue.

Let us right the wrong and correct this farcical situation of a wharf with very poor access and little parking now.

Jim Perrin

Tathra

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