Beach campsites closed for Christmas

The sand dunes on Newcastle’s Stockton Beach will remain off limits for camping this Christmas and New Year period, as the area continues to recover from storm damage.

The Worimi Conservation Lands area suffered severe erosion during a storm in June this year, forcing the closure of all camping areas.

National Parks and Wildlife Service region manager, Robert Quirk, says while people are still able to visit the beach, the damage to the frontal dunes means it is too dangerous for camping.

“They’re recovering and they’re recovering well, but they haven’t recovered sufficiently to put campers back on them,” he said.

“Both the pressures of vehicles and people, and also the risk from another storm event.

“(In) August the sea broke through again and I think a large storm event could still break through.

“So many of the places where people used to camp are now still prone to flooding under large storm events.”

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-11/beach-campsites-closed-for-christmas/4420148