A surfer’s car was broken into and some possessions stolen at the end of Ocean street. Entry to the car was made by breaking a rear window. The break-in was discovered some time after 2pm on Monday 7th Dec if memory serves.

This is a quiet little parking spot away from homes and other traffic and an ideal place for a thief to make such a noisy entry into a vehicle. Attempts were made to find whoever did it but nobody else was seen in the area and the surfer left to notify police.

It creates an awful feeling to find your car damaged and possibly valuable possessions gone after a good day in the surf and just leaving stuff in the car with the doors locked will not keep it safe. It is coming into holidays and while we have a relatively low crime rate here it is still a constant threat. Taking simple precautions and being a little paranoid may save a lot of expense and suffering later.

A scrub fire has run through the area between Ocean Street and Weemala St damaging the board walk which runs

Hole burnt in the boardwalk

paralell to the beach. It was a small fire covering about a quarter acre or so in the old measure.

The dune care group looking after the area will be disappointed to see the area stripped of its flora. They were having a lot of success in this little patch.

If the rain fall we have been experiencing over the last few months continues the area should be starting to green-up in no time. A run of hot weather could see the patches needing assistance to recover. More work for dune care but these guys are bulldogs!

The fire was patchy in the way it burnt and a walk through the area indicated some patches of totally denuded soil with a few small surviving patches here and there.

It should not have been surprising to see all the bottles scattered among the newly cleared patches. They were everywhere. During the holidays Budgewoi and its surrounds come close to being the broken-bottle capital of the world!

There are a number of ways those planks in the boardwalk may be supported and my little mobility-aid felt quite safe passing on the other side. The hole is dangerous if someone has bad eyesight or it is dark but fortunately easily fixed. I know there are some people with severe sight problems walking the boardwalk some afternoons so I hope it is fixed quickly. The warning tape will not warn someone using a white cane and used to using a safe, well-maintained boardwalk.

There could be any of number of causes for a small fire like this. No point in speculating.

I know, calling this entry Birdie Beach News was inaccurate but there is a spot for a title and I didn’t have another.