After the Storm

Yesterday's storm was more puff than wind here at Preston Beach but I decided to do a tour with camera to capture some shots of a winterised Preston Beach.  There's nothing more captivating than seeing water in our lake.

Everything has been washed clean by the heavy rains which have fallen through June.  The golf course is beginning to green and the park at the beach is looking great.  Noel said the overnight campers rate it is one of the nicest stops on the coast.  You can use the car park and facilities at the Preston Beach free of charge for 24 hours.  The locals like to see visitors here on a regular basis because the presence of motorhomes, caravans etc is a deterent to vandals (yes unfortunately the facilities here have previously been subject to damage by vandals).

A wet car park

The brush pile next to the northern access road grows faster than a mushroom on steriods!  This is fine when the vegetation being dumped is suitable for brushing the dunes, but apparantly some people can't read.  Take this pile of palm tree trunks for instance; dumped directly behind the sign!

Can you read the sign?

The ocean was pounding in and the tyres have taken a battering but they stand steadfast against the onslaught of the swell and the tide.  There is a little weed on the the beach but not too bad for this time of year.  The sand is quite hard and easy to drive on at the moment and despite it being a wet and cold day we found Noel carrying out his Ranger patrols as usual, picking up flotsum and jetsum and looking for drivers in distress ('idiots who get bogged')!

Every time we have constant and heavy rain, the old part of town suffers.  In Surf Street, Siesta Street, Oceanview Road, Lakeview Road and Southern Road there are washaways and sand drifts.  This will continue to happen until the Shire install kerbing and upgrade the old roads.

 

Ian Curley has been in town inspecting this kind of damage recently.  Without funds there is little can be done but it is distressing for the home owners in these streets and nothing is more frustrating than watching the Shire throw good money after bad doing patch up repairs on these roads.

The new fire shed looks like it might be near completion but still needs internal fitout, fencing, driveways and other costly items for which further funding is required.  It looks like it might be some time before this building is functional, let's hope not.