Local police are urging residents to keep their doors shut during the summer months as they help and assist the community in ways of preventing themselves from being robbed.
With the warmer weather, crime prevention officer at Sutherland Police Station, Constable Paul Hextell, said people often left their main doors open during the summer months to allow fresh air and a cool breeze to enter into their homes but this meant they were making themselves a target for thieves.
“Closing just the flyscreen door at night also makes it easier for opportunist and professional thieves to enter and steal handbags, wallets and other easily accessible items,” Const Hextell said.
Const Hextell also warned about the dangers of taking valuables to the beach and recommended people avoid this as much as possible. “Thieves see this as an opportunity to steal belongings while people are swimming and there has been an increase in reports with this type of crime,” he said.
“People should also avoid leaving any valuables in their vehicles while visiting the beach, local shopping centres, public reserves or when parking their vehicle in the street, as thieves will target unattended vehicles in search of property to steal.”
Police encourage residents to report any theft to their nearest police station. Bundeena’s hot spot now a bonnie place to camp
Bundeena’s popular Bonnie Vale camping ground will almost double its capacity when a $1.9 million upgrade is completed.
Work began last July when the camping ground was closed with the upgrade increasing the number of campsites from 44 to 77 allowing up to 200 extra campers to spend the night at any given time.
The camping ground has been completely redesigned as part of the upgrade, with a section of the internal road routed away from the beachfront to allow more campsites along the water’s edge. Roads have been sealed and each campsite has its own car park.
A new amenities block was also built, allowing campers to indulge in a hot shower, while new shelters, picnic tables and free to operate electric barbecues were added. The upgrade was meant to be completed last October, but a Department of Environment and Climate Change spokesperson said work had been delayed several times by heavy rains.
The upgrade is now expected to be completed by Easter, which is traditionally one of its busiest times.
“This is a major upgrade, to make the most of an extremely popular and unique site,” the spokesperson said. “The downside to any major upgrade is the inconvenience during construction. In Bonnie Vale’s case this had been compounded by record rain which has flooded some areas, made access far more difficult and rendered construction impossible at times.”
Despite these setbacks, 35 campsites were reopened in time for Christmas and day trippers were also welcomed back. “The vastly improved day use area also opened before Christmas and has already accommodated big crowds, particularly on Boxing Day when it was extremely full, “the spokesperson said.
Temporary fences have been erected along sections of the one way loop road but will be removed once newly planted vegetation has been established. The refurbishment got the thumbs up from campers last week.
Local residents, many of whom have spent up to four nights at the camping ground, have described the new facilities as excellent and that it is a “top spot” for children especially being right on the beach.
The recent bad weather could not dampen or deter their spirits with young ones indulging in yabby pumping, swimming, bike rides and long walks in the bush.
Bookings for the campsite can be made through the Royal National Park Visitor Centre with overnight stays $14 for adults and $7 for children. Bonna Pt upgrade all due to Shire Residents
Residents’ suggestions for the Bonna Pt boat ramp upgrade have not fallen on deaf ears as the plans are ready to go after Sutherland Shire Council listened to what they had to say and took it all on board.
The council asked for suggestions on the partial closure of the Bonna Pt car park as well as the upgrade and residents responded with plenty of both. The council has proposed to permanently close the entrance gate to the car park area west of the boat ramp to discourage antisocial and illegal activities.
The point is also a roosting feeding site for several species of migratory birds and the council has obligations under international agreements with Japan and China to protect their habitats.
The project will be built in stages with the first stage including the new boat ramp and pontoon. Later stages will include the reconfiguration of car parking facilities and the eventual closure of the existing car park inside the boom gates. Cronullla seawall unstable
A report from Sutherland Shire Council’s Director of Engineering has found that the seawall in Prince St Cronulla is unstable and in need of immediate repair.
Much of the damage to the wall has been put down to the huge storms last winter with some pieces of the wall dislodged and dragged down the beach by the heavy seas. The council approached the State Government for help in funding the repairs last year but was unsuccessful.
The report to the council’s infrastructure committee said another meeting last year had left the matter unresolved. “A meeting was held on December 19 with Environment Minister Nathan Rees,” it said. “Council staff’s concerns regarding the instability of the seawall’s foundations were also raised. At the time of preparing this report, the mayor had not received a response from the minister.”
The report said the damage had compromised the wall and needed to be urgently repaired. “I am concerned about the short term stability of sections of the Prince St seawall,” the report said. “I would strongly recommend to council that it accept the tender as recommended.”
The report also recommended the council spend $600,000 for the repairs and investigate funding options for an extra $1.75 million necessary to complete the work. | 
