VANDALISM, rot and time have wrought destructive effects upon the boardwalk that links Pindimar North to Pindimar South, with the latest case reported on Good Friday, 7 April.

Unofficial reports from locals in the area suggest that at some time between Good Friday evening and Easter Saturday morning, planks from the Boardwalk were removed, while some well-meaning locals have attempted to fix the gaps.

However, seeing at the boardwalk as a whole, it is difficult to determine if the damage visible along the entire span is due to vandalism, or extensive weathering.

“The boardwalk is rotting in several places, but this is to be expected, given the environment,” said Vivian Panhuber, President of the Pindimar Bundabah Community Association (PBCA), referring to the corrosive effects of saltwater and oceanic tides among the mangroves.

“The MidCoast Council approved a budget of $175,000 to restore the boardwalk, but that was in late 2022, and any action was pushed to March, and it is now April and nothing has been done,” Ms Panhuber told NOTA.

The boardwalk was originally built in 2004, by a volunteer workforce of 62 locals who put in a total of 2200 man-hours, bringing the total cost to $15,000 ($10,000 of which comprised a grant from the Great Lakes Council) less than twenty years ago.

A patchwork of plywood on the southern end of the boardwalk represents Council’s most recent attempt to fix gaping breaches, the result of several cross-planks rotting away.

In some spaces, rusty screw and nail heads protruded hazardously from the walk, a clear and present danger to pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Underscoring to the serious safety concerns plaguing the boardwalk, Ms Panhuber also added, “It is the only refuge for pedestrians in case of a bushfire, unless we all just wade into the bay.”

The Pindimar boardwalk is the only direct connection between North and South Pindimar, the only other route being the 7km road up the hill and through the fire-prone eucalyptus forest.

By Thomas O’KEEFE