So the one up the road from me must be Gerro B

what are you t'othersiders talking about?

Shhhhhhhhh it's a secret.

All the cool kids sail spot W these days

I think Mark australia might have stumbled onto something without knowing it. As the future Gerroa's nearby stunning beauty may well be under threat if the Dept of Planning and Infrastructure (DOPI -read doppie) has its way.
In their Draft Regional GROWTH Plan they plan to grow houses a plenty between Gerringong and Gerroa.
Not satisfied with his hit on this small community they have identified a sand resource with the mechanism in place to mine the 5 Endangered Ecological Communities on top the sand behind the Caravan Park.
Please go to geps.happenings.id.au for more info and the way to help out if you wish Gerroa Village to retain its A grade looks.
Or call Waz 1knot.

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Knottedup said..
I think Mark australia might have stumbled onto something without knowing it. As the future Gerroa's nearby stunning beauty may well be under threat if the Dept of Planning and Infrastructure (DOPI -read doppie) has its way.
In their Draft Regional GROWTH Plan they plan to grow houses a plenty between Gerringong and Gerroa.
Not satisfied with his hit on this small community they have identified a sand resource with the mechanism in place to mine the 5 Endangered Ecological Communities on top the sand behind the Caravan Park.
Please go to geps.happenings.id.au for more info and the way to help out if you wish Gerroa Village to retain its A grade looks.
Or call Waz 1knot.

Oh yeah just think about what a few hundred houses could do to the wind that blows over the roofs, fences, trees etc very nearby.
Then every time it rains heavily the extra sewage that will flow out the river just upwind of the takeoff zone .
More locals equals more kiters and surfers with attitude to share the waves.
All this on top of the best agricultural soils known which is very well watered and will be needed more and more as the Murray Darling dies.

Then if you still want to come down after all of that and wish to stay in the caravan park. Just think how many more mozi's that will breed in the sandmine dredge pits only a stone's throw away. Yep, all good for Ross River fever .

Just another heads up.

Letters on Draft Regional GROWTH Plan where the NSW DOPI plan to grow houses a plenty between Gerringong and Gerroa are due in 7th December. Yes very Soon.
If you want to help reduce the damage please go to geps.happenings.id.au
There are plenty of good points there you may wish to tell these guys who just don't seem to get it.
Kiama Council staff and Councillors DONT want it.
The local Liberal Member Gareth Ward did a very passionate speech in NSW Parliament and definitely Doesn't want it.
The Labor and Greens Candidates for the upcoming election are doing everything they can to stop it happening.
99% of the Locals don't want it.

So after reading the reason why you should do it, the question remains why would they DO it?

Looking at what they did to Shellharbour I have to say it would a total shame if the stretch from the Kiama bends to Nowra ends up looking exactly the same.
What's more there is little infrastructure in place to support the additional influx of people.

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Knottedup said..


Letters on Draft Regional GROWTH Plan where the NSW DOPI plan to grow houses a plenty between Gerringong and Gerroa are due in 7th December. ....... the question remains why would they DO it?

Well from my green perspective the biggest issue for the planet is loss of habitat due to the expanding human footprint. Australia's population has increased by a factor of 2.5 since I was born. The best thing for the planet would be that the 5,000 folks or so to be housed in the proposed development weren't on it. Well they are. The next best thing would be for the farmland to be restored to a native ecosystem. To be reseeded from surviving EECs. That won't happen either.


( The coastal biome is narrow, a highly prized trophy for people and is thus poorly represented in the Illawarra. Seven mile beach, apart from a few isolated fragments elsewhere, is all that remains of a plant community that was once widespread on the Illawarra. coast. www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/seven-mile-beach-national-park )

The grassy farmland between Gerroa and Gerringong is hardly a pristine ecosystem. The suburb to the east of the road possibly already has greater biodiversity. Given a few more years for trees to establish, the lizards possums and cockatoos will move in and the suburb will be way ahead on that score.


So rather than fight it, go with it and make sure that the suburb has heaps of green space. Certainly more than the one to the west. Those two little gullies dropping to the beach, now trashed by the cattle, would once have housed a pocket of a now endangered ecological community. Have a restoration included in the plan. One thing you can't do is allow the developers to sell a view. Make it clear to purchasers, make them sign a waiver, nobody will have an ocean view in the future. Leave a 100 metre buffer west of the cliff top, restore a band of native vegetation, somewhere for the Sea Eagles to perch, and put a shady coastal walking track there.

Ian, the biggest problem with the developments in the Gerringong area is that they seem to be mostly second homes. Drive around the area during the week and it's dead. What you are left with is a soulless suburban sprawl devoid of all life.

But lets say all these houses are build for everyday folks that will actually make them their primary residence. Where are these people going to work? Kiama? Wollongong? Sydney? The trains from Kiama take an eternity to get to Sydney. From Gerroa? Don't even think about it. Oh, working from home? How? The libs canned the planned fibre to the home in the area. And what about medical services? Ever tried to call an ambulance and make it to the hospital from Gerroa? You may as well live in the outback. The list of services that are lacking goes on and on.

What's more there seem to be zero requirements to make homes more energy neutral. No solar hot water, no proper insulation, no energy efficient glass, no solar... It's all cheap junk build for maximum profit that will be an eyesore in 20 odd years.

It would be a real shame to see the area destroyed like they have done to Cronulla. Mine the sand, fill hole with rubbish and land fill then pay off Council to allow the area to be sold as residential. Anyone who hasn't been to Wanda for a year or so would be shocked to see what has been done here. It is much like Shell Harbour, Cambelltown by the sea.

They all look like reasonable points Stehsegler. But the focus of the argument appeared to be that the farmland had more intrinsic value than a suburb. I was just pointing out that if the suburb is planned with the environment in mind it would be an environmental gain. Maybe stick with your points to oppose development.

You're right about the eyesore. The houses to the left of this beach are mostly lifeless and unattended. This development was an interesting case. The whole front row was sold with the ocean view as part of the package. At the time of sale the forest now obscuring the houses to the right was freshly planted, barely knee high, not noticed by the purchasers. So now half the front row does not have an ocean view. Property values have dropped in this half by many $100,000s. There is pressure on council to fell the forest, trees are poisoned. But though strength of numbers the forest is hanging in. Even though planted it now has EEC protection as an Alluvial Swamp Mahogany Forest.

Thank you all for your interest in this matter.
Just to clarify things.
There has been no talk about rezoning any land east of the road between Gerringong and Gerroa.
The many issue ihere is the farmland.
It's been farmed for more than 200 years due to its great soil qualities ie within the best 3% of farmland in NSW.
It's very well watered and WILL be needed in the future for food production.

There is very little work locally. Most is based around farming and low scale tourism which just happen to co exist well together.
Any increase in housing will kill future jobs in those fields.
Once the houses are built job prospects plummett damactically.
We agree people need to live somewhere but people also need to be feed.
This is what we can do best.

If you had the best rugby league front rower in the world would you play him at fullback?

If love this place like I know so many do.
If you want to see it remain as it is then you have the right to say so.
You are a stake holder no matter where you live.
The DOPI are encouraging everyone to have say.
Helpful info can be accessed on geps.happenings.id.au
The detailed submissions will come from GEPS members.
The all important numbers of letters or emails is what really counts in the long run.

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Knottedup said..
Thank you all for your interest in this matter.
Just to clarify things.
There has been no talk about rezoning any land east of the road between Gerringong and Gerroa.
The many issue ihere is the farmland.
It's been farmed for more than 200 years due to its great soil qualities ie within the best 3% of farmland in NSW.
It's very well watered and WILL be needed in the future for food production.

There is very little work locally. Most is based around farming and low scale tourism which just happen to co exist well together.
Any increase in housing will kill future jobs in those fields.
Once the houses are built job prospects plummett damactically.
We agree people need to live somewhere but people also need to be feed.
This is what we can do best.

If you had the best rugby league front rower in the world would you play him at fullback?

If love this place like I know so many do.
If you want to see it remain as it is then you have the right to say so.
You are a stake holder no matter where you live.
The DOPI are encouraging everyone to have say.
Helpful info can be accessed on geps.happenings.id.au
The detailed submissions will come from GEPS members.
The all important numbers of letters or emails is what really counts in the long run.

Thanks Knotted, so the development is all west of the connecting road. Well there goes the lever to reclaim a moderate coastal reserve. The soil qualities in that little farm may be up with the best 3%, however the ecosystems within 1 km of the coast are unique, having evolved in that stormy sea air. Australia has a coastline of 35,000 km, the area within 1km of the coast is thus 35,000 sq km. From a total land area of 7,692,024 sq km, that's 0.4 %. I'd still like to see that farm reclaimed for the environment, what's he raising anyway? cattle? Look to the next 6% for agriculture, there's way more of that amongst better represented ecosystems of far greater area.

Yes keep the sand miners out, surely there's sand available elsewhere?

You guys are great at keeping the secret spot secret. Those coordinates are reallu hard to work out.

Coordinates?? Why not just look up the name of the place in maps. It's posted on here so much it could have its own section

Lived in Canberra for 8 years up until mid 2013 and Gerringong and Gerroa were our favourite holiday destination. Last trip stayed in one of the chalets at the Gerroa caravan park and absolutely loved it. Wandering down to the beach regularly and a little fishing in the river. Jogging around the headland it was interesting how many houses were empty during the week. Went to the Blue Swimming restaurant and had a great meal.

Walking along the beach and seeing the windsurfers was what got me interested in learning again... always meant to as a teenager in Rockingham but never got around to it.

Favourite part of Gerroa/Gerringong was visiting the surf shop and seeing the cows grazing on the headland overlooking the ocean..

I miss the place and hope that development doesn't ruin it.