There really is no need to claim a picnic spot by enclosing it in cling wrap when there are so many beautiful places along the coast, like Stuart Park. Photo: Jen White.
Who was the doofus who thought it was a great idea to cling wrap an entire picnic hut in Lang Park to ensure they had a beachside spot for the day?
Thanks to them, Wollongong is now the laughingstock of the world. The story has done the rounds of the national media and has now gone global, with the New York Post declaring: “Mayor puts foot down over rude behavior ruining public beach: ‘Common courtesy’”.
Yep, our Mayor Tania Brown had to front the media to explain why council was spending our hard-earned ratepayer dollars on making and erecting signs explaining that “the use of cling wrap or any material to enclose picnic shelters is prohibited”.
Not only does council have to foot the bill for the signs, they also have to pay the city rangers to patrol the beachside areas and jump on any sneaky wrappers.
In the journalism trade, we refer to Christmas and most of January as the silly season, because there is bugger all happening and we gratefully grab anything slightly resembling a story.
This is a classic silly season story. Sorry to be a spoilsport but these mystery cling wrappers have been doing their dirty deeds in the Gong for years.
The New York Post story even quotes “Wollongong resident Cath Lea” who says the practice has been going on for the 23 years she has lived in the area and is “very, very common”.
The story actually throws up more questions than it answers, like how much cling wrap does it take to wrap a picnic structure? How early does one have to arrive to cling wrap said structure?
Seriously folks, if you want a day out at the beach and expect prime position, just gather at dawn and be done with the wrapping.
A much more serious problem is what happens to the cling wrap when it’s time to unwrap and unpack the picnic? Seems to me that poses more danger to the environment than some muppet who thinks they’re better than everyone else and somehow entitled to claim a front row seat.
If the New York Post reckons this behaviour is “ruining a public beach”, what on earth would it make of the cabana controversy that’s engulfed the PM’s office?
Anthony Albanese was thrown a silly question about people “bagging” prime beach spots by erecting cabanas and leaving them empty until they were ready to hit the beach after a morning latte.
The fact he even waded into the debate was bloody silly.
Surely the Prime Minister has better things to think about – in an election year – than the heated issue of empty cabanas on beaches?
With Australia Day looming, there’s no doubt thousands of people will be drawn to our most popular beaches and nearby picnic areas.
And there’s no doubt that some of those (mostly ignorant) people will try to grab a patch of public space as their own by staking a claim with a cabana, tent, towel, or heaven forbid, cling wrap.
But I’ll let you into a secret – Wollongong alone has 17 patrolled, public beaches where there is more than enough space for all of western Sydney to come and visit for the day.
Drive just a bit further down the motorway and you’ll find more beautiful beaches in Shellharbour and Kiama.
Just leave the cling wrap at home, get rid of your rubbish properly and you’ll be welcome back any time.
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