Following in the success of the Australia Day
Paddle Out, the Kirra Surfriders club (KSC), the Kirra Surf Club (SLSC) and the
Surfrider Foundation will join forces again to host the 2009 Kirra SurfStock. A
three day Surfing Festival from November 6th, 7th, &
8th featuring multiple surf events such as the Mick Fanning/Michael Peterson
Rising Star Junior Challenge and a range of surf craft comps from club teams, long
boards, SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boards), Surfboats, Surf schools and even Touch
Footy on the beach.
Live music with at least one Internationally famous
band on the beach plus loads of activities including Surf Woody’s and Kombi’s,
skateboards, movies, photos and art embracing the surf culture of Kirra,
helping to raise funds for nonprofit ocean environmental groups like the
Surfrider Foundation.
The campaign to Bring Kirra Back is very much alive
despite some classic Kirra waves during the last 2 months of epic swell
conditions.
While the old famous Kirra Point is still a thing
of the past, the new outside bank at Kirra produced some mind blowing tubes for
the pro’s on their jet ski’s courtesy of the 2 metre easterly swells generated
by continual low pressure systems. The fact is that the new bank now referred
to as KAK (Known as Kirra) will only work with a 2 metre plus swell but recent
swell events have helped to move sand from Coolangatta into the Kirra Bay and
for the first time since the late 1990’s and prior to the Tweed Sand-by pass
pumping operation, Kirra’s waves are breaking closer to the Big Groyne, an
encouraging sign. It’s still a long way from the original Point waves with 6
wave line-ups refracting down the Kirra Headland in all size swells but the
signs are there and should be taken into account. The recent storm swells have
wiped out the Super Bank, a creation of the sand bypass operation from Rainbow
Bay to Coolangatta and owing to less sand being pumped from the major outlet at
Point Danger; Kirra has had a chance to move its bank shoreward. Nature has
exerted some major influence while the sand bypass operation has had its share
of problems with the Fingal inlet that draws sand unable to pump the volumes it
had during the last 8 years.
The idea of a secondary outlet for North Kirra is
dead in the water with recent objections from coastal residents from North
Kirra to Burleigh not wishing to see a repeat of the Kirra oversupply of sand
situation. Meanwhile the beach amenity at Kirra remains a vast uninviting sandy
desert impacting on local business and the marine environmental question of the
sunken devastated Kirra reefs underpin the impact of the 25 year contract
between NSW and the Queensland State Governments including Gold Coast City
Council to continue to pump sand at any cost. Most people are of the opinion
that the Governments and Council should be adjusting the volumes of sand and
only pump when needed, pump on demand. A positive example of pumping sand at
Duranbah Beach has saved its beach amenity after some of the worst beach
erosion seen in the last two weeks.
Back pumping was never part of the Government
contract to pump sand yet Fingal Beach, NSW is in obvious danger. The greatest
question of course is to the whereabouts and contents of the 25 year contract
and even the FOI act has failed to uncover the finer details much to the
frustration of Currumbin LNP MP Jann Stuckey. Her Labor opponent in the last
election Michael Riordan despite losing votes at the QLD election has vowed to
broker a meeting between the QLD Minister of Sustainability and Climate Change
Katie Jones and the NSW Minister of Lands Tony Kelly to discuss the matter of
sand and the contents of the illusive contract between their respective
Governments. One thing for sure that was not written in the Contract was the
impact that the sand pumping would have on the Gold Coast Point Breaks starting
with Kirra. The man made infrastructure has the potential to restore beach and
create perfect waves if given the chance. The new young engineers and new
Governments have shown a willingness to find the best solution for both and
help restore the Gold Coast to its internationally famous surf, sand and
boating lifestyle.
The Bligh Government stands by its 1.5 million
dollar pledge to help restore Kirra yet the dialogue between State Government
and Council is slow to act on improving the beach amenity with the creation of
sand dunes and proper walkways. Currently nature is doing a better job than the
so called experts some of which have very little to do with the beach, surf and
dive culture. The coastal community expects more and one of the reasons that
5,000 people turned up at Kirra on Australia Day - they care about their Coast
and would like to see a positive outcome!
Photo:
9 times World Champion Kelly Slater towing in at recent Kirra swell event. Photo by Brad Neilson
For more info contact Andrew McKinnon
co-coordinator of the Kirra SurfStock 09 on 0412 754974 or email mckinnonandrew@optusnet.com.au
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