Have we got your attention?

The issue which made so much concern from last year about kiting at Mullaloo and the Surf Club has not gone away and in fact whist everyone has become totally complacent over winter, the issue has been escalating behind closed doors.

I have it on good authority that the Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club has been putting together a petition to take to Joondalup City Council to have ALL windsurfing and kitesurfing totally banned at Mullalo beach.

This issue has come to a head due to the care less attitude of some kiters doing downwinders from Pinnaroo Point to Mullaloo beach. No one has an issue with you doing downwinders. Hey, they are great fun, but to complete this downwinder you have to pass the Surf Club. YOU ARE NOT TO GO THROUGH THE FLAGS!

YOU MUST STAY OUTSIDE 400M FROM THE SHORELINE! WAKSA's new guidelines of 250m upwind and 50m downwind of the surf club when you see the flags should be enough, however, The clubbies train often even when the flags aren't out and reports of kiters riding through the clubbies training sessions are just adding fuel to the fire.

If you don't think this ban can happen, get your head out of the sand! There is a very real threat of this happening. Councils attitude towards the threat of the new fence being removed just shows they are happy to take the path of least resistance.

If the clubbies make enough noise and are persistent enough, a ban will be on the agenda.

PLEASE DO NOT RIDE ANY WHERE NEAR THE SLSC AT MULLALOO. Ride way out to sea well before the club and return to the beach well downwind of the club if you absolutely have to. If you see kiters riding anywhere near the club, do your part and inform them of the situation.

EVERY time a kiter rides too close to the club, it gets noted and becomes part of the ever increasing ammunition in the war against wind sport riders at Mullaloo.

I will get a sign made up to inform riders leaving from Pinnaroo and will position it near our trailer, but signs can only do so much. It is you that has to make a difference. Don't add any more fuel to the fire. The clubbies have an axe to grind but they also have legitimacy to their argument with reckless persons doing the wrong thing repeatedly.

There is only so much Rob, myself and the Mullaloo users group can do, the rest is up to you! Don't gripe about the clubbies, just do your part and help us out by not making it any worse than it already is. If you stick your head in the sand the problem really will go away. You see battling to save access will be gone when there is no access to save.

Good winds,

The size is not the issue, most are trying to do the right thing, we will get "no" help from the surf club who seem to have only one goal. Please , a note to all, DON'T feed the fire.

spot1 said...

the Mullaloo Surf Life Saving Club is the bigest slsc in oz
and i think it would have a loud voice

Biggest in Oz ????
lol.
I find that hard to believe. ^^^
Mullaloo doesn't even have a wave.

If the kiters and poleys, kiting at the surf club are accesing the beach at the surf club, signs there could stop alot of these guys walking down the beach, we dont need something like a 4cmx4cm plark on the same piece of wood that has the beach name but a good road sign sized red circuled kiter and poley with no kitesurfing in this area for ....north and .... south, kiting access is available ...(mulluloo,or pinaroo...)
As for people doing down winders well kitehard got the right idea, even a large banner put up everyday as the kiters walk down the beach UNMISABLE.

my two cents

fair comment about the sign at the surf club, im guess im just worried that if it gets banned on that part fo the coast it will be banned all over the coast, but we dont want the sign proposed for the surf club to be just put at any beach access, and yeh it was thought of for the odd blow in and loner who doesn't look at the seabreeze forums.

Any one who is reading this forum is obviously going to try and make an effort but its the pople not reading this forum that you should target

isn't it basically is already banned, what do u mean by ban? A fine?

also whats with the sudden increase to mullaloo? is every one coming up from pinaroo?

General said...

it basically is already banned, what do u mean by ban? A fine?

also whats with the sudden increase to mullaloo? is every one coming up from pinaroo?


Lets just all go to pinnaroo that will solve it

Hey General,

It isn't already banned, as Rob says, it is part of self regulation that will keep our access to all beaches. Do nothing and we get what we deserve. The sudden increase at Mullas? Have you been to any other beach lately? Melville, Brighton, Woodies, Pinnas, Cott, Leighton, Mullas even City Beach. All the beaches are getting really busy.

I was speaking to a French guy who rocked up at Pinnas a week or two ago on a pretty busy day, he couldn't believe how quiet it was. I asked him what he meant, he said in France where he kites at a beach no bigger than Pinnaroo, they get 200+ kiters on a good day.

The issue is not the numbers, it's us taking responsibility for our impact on the rest of the community as we grow. We share the waters with other beach and water users, we need to learn to play fair in the sand pit and share responsibly.

Rob Gannon and the Mullas user group have been doing a great job working hard for years to keep both sides happy, but they are slowly fighting a losing battle, we all need to pitch in and do our bit.

It's up to us all. Just be aware of the zones, and keep others informed. That will go a long way to helping out. Rob has plans of action involving WAKSA so is doing stuff to help already. PLease be diligent.

Good winds,

Sometimes it's the circumstance, rather than intent....
that makes a kiter look bad.
For instance, if a kiter drags thru a flagged zone with a downed kite,
because he wasn't capable of relaunching after a crash....
Is that a crime ?
Maybe the wind unexpectingly drops off.....
and a kiter floats thru a flagged zone with swimmers getting all tangled-up in the strings, lol.
Is that a crime ?
Sometimes inexperience and bad luck is really the cause of the problem.
Bad manners or poor attitude is not always the issue.
You see,
Kitesurfing is just so problematic to be sustainable on public beaches.
It will eventually end up where it belongs...
In it's own patch.

Hey local kiters at Mully, why don't you just join the surf life saving club?. Do one day a weekend on patrol, learn how to save someone's life, improve your swimming ability and in the process educate?.

Is that a possible longer term solution?.

hirschausen said...

Hey local kiters at Mully, why don't you just join the surf life saving club?. Do one day a weekend on patrol, learn how to save someone's life, improve your swimming ability and in the process educate?.

Is that a possible longer term solution?.

That sounds like a good idea Gav, however I believe the surf club is full and are not taking any more memberships ATM (I could be wrong and stand to be corrected).

Do you know if that is the case Spot1?

hirschausen said...

Hey local kiters at Mully, why don't you just join the surf life saving club?.

Don't sell yourselves short. ^^^
Clubbies are ok I guess.....except they think they own the fken beach.
I'm so stoked to have no clubbies at all my spots.
hehe

tightlines said...

I think we are all just going to have to move down the slaves way.

no it took 20years to get him out of scarbs

I think some of the problems occur tuesday and thursday nights (maybe other ?). At these times the clubs are training and have all the kids on the beach, running, swimming, and paddeling. Its not always just the flagged 100 meters or so area. At these times, we should be a few hundred meters at least from the people training, not just the flags. Fairly often I see kites going straight through the area they have either marked out for training, or drop a kite just up wind of where they are paddeling. I know they don't own the beach, and technically, you have as much right to the water sapce as they do, but, .... but how I see it, they are training to do something good for society. They are volunteering their time to provide a needed service. How would you feel if you had your kids that have decided to get of their bums after school go to the surf club to try to help people out and get fit, to then have this kite whizzing past them which to someone unfamiliar with them, looking totally out of control ? You may well complain. So if they want to paddle without fear of getting a kite dropped on them or worse, let them. Its far easier for us to sail or kite further up the beach or out to sea. Let the clubbies have fun and train in their own comfort, and hopefully they will continue to provide a good service.

how is this idea then why not have a come and try day and invite just the slsclubs from leighton thru to mullas at least that way they will have some understanding of whats going on if there is a misshap. you never know they might actually get addicted to the the sport like the rest of us wouldnt that be great.