The bulldozer returneth. The local rag reports that bulldozing of the dune vegetation at Ettalong is going ahead after all. The vegetation is right in front of The Excrescence and when it's gone it will push up the price on those rooms they're always trying to flog on their middle floors. (The Excresence is the over-sized white building below).
I am bloody annoyed about the dunes being menaced. However, the bulldozer may do its worst on this fugly block of seventies toilets at the end of the dunes. They are used by no-one by the drunk and the desperate.
Locals, the loos are at the end of Picnic Parade, down beside the pub and barely 5 yards from this lovely bungalow.
The vegetation causing all the angst.
The white blob on the right behind the dunes is The Excrescence. Its view is partly obscured by the vegetation. The red brick building is in fact the purple and orange motel on The Esplanade. Its view is almost entirely blocked by the vegetation.
Native plants holding the sand down and stopping it from being blown into the streets and buildings behind.
The clump of trees on the left are tea trees. I love tea trees. They're twisty and they've got beautiful rough silvery bark and tiny waxy flowers and can take a shitload of wind and salt air.
The Excrescence as seen from Ettalong Beach.
The top half of the bastard has water views, the cafe, bar, etc doesn't. Hence the desire to rip out the dune vegetation and build "viewing platforms". The vegetation growing on the dunes prevents the beach sand from constantly being blown up into Ettalong's main streets (just behind the Excrescence), the "viewing platforms" most likely will not.
The desired view.
Wagstaffe coming in from the left in the middle distance, to its right is a distance cliff, which I'm assured is Manly. To the right of Manly is Barrenjoey Head, then Pittwater to its right then Lion Island.
It was low tide and the sand was pitted with tiny crab holes. The sea gulls were lined up along the edge of the water (right edge of photo). Don't know what they were waiting for. Don't know much about seagulls, except they shit on everything and steal your chips. Other than that, they're orright.
