Cabbage Tree Bay is one of Manly's nicest beaches. It is part of a marine reserve and is right next to Shelley Headland, an area of regenerated bushland. It is unusual for headlands in the city near beaches not to have houses packed onto them. This is the only west-facing beach in Sydney.
The bay was named after the cabbage tree palms which grew around the beach and up the creek. When Sydney was first colonised, the edible hearts of these beautiful palms were used for pig food and all the palms were cleared. All that remained of them was the name of the bay, and most people did not know why it had that name.
For the last several years, the Manly Council has been replanting cabbage tree palms at the beach and around the waterfront. Once again Cabbage Tree Bay has cabbage trees growing on it. Again there are palms on the beach where they belong.
Unfortunately, large motor boats have started using this bay as a parking lot on weekends, spoiling the visual unity of the bright blue water and the green headland and pumping petrol fumes into the fresh air where people are swimming.
07 August 2005
Cabbage Tree Bay
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2 comments:
Fairy Bower precinct is campaigning right now to change the legislation (NSW govt) and prevent mooring in Cabbage Tree Bay. In spite of the good efforts of the Manly Daily journalist recently we have discovered that mooring is actually legally allowed at the moment. We have until mid March to lobby and apply pressure to ensure that the new regs coming in to force will prevent boats under motor entering the Bay.
Any ideas or willingness to help would be appreciated....Jennifer Jary: jennifergrant.jary@bigpond.com
re: “Can Manly can afford an aquatic reserve”
Jennifer,
thanks for your comment.
The Manly Blog has been drawing attention to the lack of effective protection and policing of Cabbage Tree Bay over some time. We believe that ALL motorised watercraft endanger the protected wildlife in the area. Swimmers and divers too are endangered by them and have to breathe their toxic fumes. The use of petrol powered vehicles is unfortunately only one of the issues in the protection of CTB. Often the reserve gets plundered. At night it gets raided from the water or from land and all seems to go unnoticed.
Apart from directing public awareness to these issues, below are some ideas about how people can step up their diy surveillance in order to report transgressions to the authorities. Blogging the issue might raise more awareness, build networks and influence decisions.
The authors of MNLY are living in Europe for the time being and are therefore not in a good position to follow local happenings or get engaged.
We hope, the Fairy Bower precinct and Manly residents are able to afford and maintain this jewel in their midst.
Best wishes
Rita
Some more readings:
Can Manly afford an an aquatic reserve?
http://mnly.blogspot.com/2005/10/can-manly-afford-aquatic-reserve.html
Petrol or penguins in an aquatic reserve?
http://mnly.blogspot.com/2006/04/petrol-or-penguins-in-aquatic-reserve.html
swimmers endangerd and petrol fumes from watercraft
At night the fishing boats go about their business in the marine reserve with big spotlights. Who cares?
http://mnly.blogspot.com/2005/12/manly-beach-culture.html
Plundering the reserve - and getting away with it...
http://mnly.blogspot.com/2005/08/plundering-aquatic-reserves-and.html
Some ideas on peoples' surveillance of CBAR
http://mnly.blogspot.com/2005/12/watch-over-manly.html
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