29/10/2022 Australia, Nuovo Galles del Sud
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law enforcement agency for assistance”
ABC Illawarra / By Ainslie Drewitt-Smith and Melinda James
The Department of Defence has refuted claims it plans to permanently block public access to the popular Beecroft Peninsula on the New South Wales South Coast. he jagged headland on the northern edge of pristine Jervis Bay is frequented by outdoor enthusiasts and is home to the historic Point Perpendicular Lighthouse. The area, near Currarong, is also used by Defence as a weapons range for testing explosives. This week rock climbers expressed their concern that the shared use of the area was under threat after months of limited access and the introduction of a new entry process. “It seems a bit onerous,” Australian Climbing Association of NSW president Vanessa Wills said. “It requires a meeting with a ranger [who reads] about a review being undertaken to look at unexploded ordnance and signing a form that says you will not venture outside of the lighthouse enclosure, which is a censored area. “Obviously this makes any recreational activity inaccessible that includes things like fishing, surfing, bushwalking, sea kayaking and bird watching, let alone climbing.”
Unexploded ordnance
The requirement to complete a mandatory safety induction was confirmed on the Beecroft Weapons Range Facebook page on Friday. Defence is currently reviewing management practices at Bundarwa, Beecroft Weapons Range, including its obligations for public access and hazard management,” the post read. “Work is ongoing to review unexploded ordnance hazards, with a view to ensuring the residual risk to members of the public is as low as reasonably practicable at sites and routes accessible to the public.” Ms Wills said the group appreciated the need for safety at the site but she was worried no timeline had been set for the review or when the area would reopen to the public. In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Defence said it did not plan to shut the peninsula and claimed ongoing wet weather was to blame for the temporary closures. “There is no proposal to close the Beecroft Peninsula to the public permanently, or to permanently reduce public access at Bundarwa/Beecroft Weapons Range,” the spokesperson said. “At present, the Honeymoon Bay Road is temporarily closed due to weather damage that has rendered it unsafe for use by the public … it is scheduled to reopen once the necessary remediation works have been completed. “Ongoing adverse weather has affected access to other parts of the Bundarwa/Beecroft Weapons Range and repair or remediation works will be conducted as required.”
If you find anything that appears to be an explosive device, do not touch it, leave it where it is and call the police. We will contact the appropriate agencies to properly dispose of the item.
Dear editors, Biography of a bomb is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, raising awerness about this topic is what drives us. We apologize if we make use of pictures in yours articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We will (and we always do) cite source and author of the picture. We thank you for your comprehension.
