Lighthouse Beach is a surf lifesaving patrolled beach in East Ballina, NSW, Australia. Located in between Shelley Beach and The North Wall, Ballina, this beach is approximately 600m long and 50m wide. It is most notable for its shark attacks.
Lighthouse Beach | |
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Beach | |
 Lighthouse Beach seen to the north of the Richmond River northern wall | |
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| Coordinates: 28°52′15″S 153°35′27″E / 28.8707°S 153.5909°E | |
| Location | Ballina, New South Wales, Australia |
| Formed by | Sand deposit |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 650m |
History
edit
The beach was created in the 1890s when sand pushed up against the newly constructed training walls of the Richmond River, causing Shaws Bay to fill with sand and forming the beach between the northern training wall and Ballina Head. It was given the name of "Tomki Beach" after a 1907 shipwreck.[1][2][3] The beach was popular as a place to walk but also became popular as a swimming destination in the 1920s as culture changed.[4] In the 1970s 30 hectares (0.12 sq mi) of beachfront land was developed into housing.[3]
Dangers
editThe beach is a popular surfing location but has a history of shark attacks, including fatal ones in 2008 and 2015.[5] A shark barrier was installed in 2016 in order to attempt to prevent attacks, but problems with the barriers surfaced within months of their installation.[6][7] It was discontinued when its impact on sand movement and swells was identified. Another shark attack occurred several weeks later, on 26 September, with lifeguards chasing the shark away using jet-skis when it attacked a surfer.[8] Lighthouse Beach was one of five to have drum lines installed later in the year to capture sharks.[9] The beach is regarded as dangerous to swimmers because of rip tides, of which it has two, and strong currents.[3]
References
edit- ^ Henry, Manuela (2009). Beaches of Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers. Hyams Publishing. p. 79. ISBN 9780977579853.
- ^ Andrew J. Short (2019). Australian Coastal Systems. Springer International Publishing. p. 571.
- ^ a b c Short, Andrew D. (2007). Beaches of the New South Wales Coast. Sydney: Syndey University Press. p. 68. ISBN 1-920898-15-8.
- ^ Croucher, John S. (2020). A Concise History of New South Wales. Woodslane Press.
- ^ Elloise Farrow-Smith; Justine Frazier (18 March 2016). "Surfers protest against installation of shark barrier at Ballina's Lighthouse Beach". ABC.
- ^ "Shark barriers to be installed on Ballina's Lighthouse beach". ABC. 11 November 2015.
- ^ "Ballina's shark problem: How an eco barrier became an 'environmental disaster'". ABC. 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Teenage surfer attacked by shark at Ballina's Lighthouse beach". The Guardian. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Buttigieg, Mel (10 December 2016). "Five monster sharks caught off NSW north coast in two days". Yahoo News. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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