VANDALS have undone work completed just last month - part of the five-year Lyall Bay Dune Restoration Plan.  
Following recommendations from Coastline Consultants and Environmental Restoration Ltd, the Council is now two years into the plan, which has seen the sowing of 6000 native plants, with more to come; the installation of boardwalks at access-points to the beach, positioned at a diagonal to keep sand from blowing onto the road and nearby residences; and the installation of signs and fencing to keep people off the dunes.
About half of the fence installed by contractor Carl Gifford has had to be redone, after poles were pulled out and left on the beach last week.
“I’m really disappointed,” says Letia Brown, concerned resident and coordinator for Lyall Bay Coast Care.
“When I saw it I thought ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it, what kind of idiot would do that? I’d like to have been down there with a camera, catching whoever does these kind of things’” says Brown.
South coast park ranger Brian Thomas wouldn’t mind seeing the vandals caught either.
“It was probably just a random act of stupidity, by kids or teenagers. [I’d like to catch them so] I can give them a job, picking up rubbish, planting plants or putting the posts back in,” he says.
Letia Brown suggests a novel idea for punishing those responsible.
“I always liked the idea of branding them with indelible ink on the forehead for a month or two so they can wear the stigma and people will know they’re vandals,” she laughs.
Despite the vandalism, Thomas would like to focus on the positive side.
“It’s important work… Without dunes the beach would lose all its sand. [Following restoration] the beach platform will get higher and advance, so we’ll have more beach, and the effects of sea level rise and strong southerlies will be mitigated.”
Thomas says the community will be planting again soon, which is a great opportunity for people to come out and show their support.