Marion Bay community takes lead to protect coast

The joint project between the Marion Bay Township Committee, the District Council of Yorke Peninsula and Natural Resources Northern and Yorke aims to minimise access points to the beach and impact by visitors.

Natural Resources Northern and Yorke community team leader Deborah Furbank says the project is a great example of partnerships and a local community taking charge of their coastal areas.

"The community has been very proactive in looking after its coastal areas and managing its visitors," Ms Furbank says.

"Many goat tracks had been formed by foot traffic where people parked their cars and just cut through wherever to get to the beach steps and we were starting to see signs of erosion and damage to native vegetation.

"The fencing has been designed to minimise access points and impact."

Ms Furbank says the Marion Bay Township Committee has also been revegetating disturbed areas with locally native coastal species.

Volunteers, along with local carpenter Robert Baxter – who also donated two surf board-shaped bench seats – worked for a week to complete the new fencing.

The Australian Government provided $8500 towards the project.

Ms Furbank says the Penguin Point car park fencing initiative is just one of many being undertaken by the local community to improve and protect the coastal area.

"The project was part of a larger landscape project, coordinated by volunteer Caroline Bonnet, that the Marion Bay Township Committee has been working on for seven years," she says.

"The main aim is to protect the coast from recreational impact in high visitation areas around Willyama Beach and Penguin Point."