The growing pothole

The same old potholes are there week in week out giving us that unwanted bumpy ride and where are the road crews?

We have had perfect dry days over the past few weeks and yet the same potholes are still there growing deeper and wider to dodge and weave around.

The pothole pictured here is on Angels Beach Rd between Prospect Bridge and the Ballina Central roundabout and every day the stream of cars using this road are dangerously hugging the left or centre line to avoid it.

Why are these taking so long to repair?  I believe the costs come under the general road maintenance budget for Ballina Shire Council and the Roads and Traffic Authority, so where are they and is there a valid reason for not repairing them?

If you have a pic of a pothole in your neighbourhood that has been bugging you send it to louise@ballina.info and we will post it up on our Ballina.Info facebook page.

I always seemed to miss reading the strange words as I passed it every day. Either it came up on me too quick as I approached or there was too much traffic to slow down or the light was too bad or the angle wasn’t right and and even when I did slow right down I still couldn’t make sense of the words.

I asked a few friends and neighbours who had all seen it but they weren’t able to read what it said either.

It got to me so while driving with a friend the other morning we finally stopped to read it and after all the intrigue it’s still a mystery. GOOM SOXY ETHAN. What does that mean?

There are a few theories but my guess is they’re the names, or nicknames, of three people who had some quick drying, red enamel paint and too much time on their hands at a time when there was no traffic.

If any readers out there can shed some light, or would like to give us their theory, please leave it in the comments area below.

Ballina Shire residents wanting to learn more about the annual humpback whale migration can do so by attending the free Whale Information Morning at Cape Byron Lighthouse on Sunday, June 18, from 9.30 to 11am.

The migration has begun in recent weeks with pods of whales passing local beaches as they make their way to warmer tropical waters.

Cape Byron Headland Reserve manager Sue Walker said the whale migration was a spectacular event and one worthy of celebration.

“Keynote speakers specialising in various aspects of the humpback whale’s lifecycle will be on hand to share their knowledge. Environmental scientists from Southern Cross University will update people on their ongoing whale identification research projects, University of Queensland scientists will explain their work on whale acoustics and local whale experts Trish and Wally Franklin will provide footage and information on the lifecycle of the humpback whale,” said Ms Walker.

“Each year several groups of southern humpback whales leave their feeding grounds in the Antarctic to begin their epic voyage of approximately 10,000 kilometres. One of the groups travels up along the eastern seaboard of Australia, passing Cape Byron on their way to their birthing and mating grounds in the sub-tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef near Hervey Bay.”

Due to limited parking up at the lighthouse the trust will provide a free shuttle bus service running continuously between Clarks Beach carpark and the lighthouse from 8.45 am until 12.30 pm. The trust is encouraging people to make use of the shuttle bus or alternatively use the Cape’s extensive walking tracks to access the lighthouse.

The council says the study, to be held this year and next, aims to identify and document buildings, places and moveable heritage items (relics and objects or records) in the shire considered to be significant to our community.

“A heritage study investigates the historical context of a local government area and identifies, assesses and makes a record of items and places of heritage significance associated with this context. The study also explains why the items and places are significant and recommends ways of managing and conserving that significance,” the council said.

“Items and places of heritage significance are broad-ranging, including components of the living and non–living environment.

“These items and places are further referred to as natural and cultural heritage items. Cultural heritage items and places include items and places of significance to Aboriginal, European and ethnic Australians.

“Natural heritage items include natural ecosystems, geological sites, water systems (eg, rivers), modified landscapes and parks, gardens and significant trees.

“Cultural heritage items and places include buildings, industrial items, monuments landscapes, parks gardens and moveable heritage items (such as machinery, objects and records).

“More specifically, Aboriginal heritage includes places which show evidence of Aboriginal occupation (called Aboriginal sites) as well as places which are of contemporary, spiritual or mythological importance according to Aboriginal culture or custom, but which contain no physical remains (called Aboriginal places).”

Under the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act (1974), the Heritage Act (1977) and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (1979), Ballina Shire Council has a legislative responsibility to manage items and places of natural, and cultural, heritage significance important to Aboriginal, European and ethnic Australians.

The heritage study process involves a number of key steps. The first step is the formation of a Heritage Study Committee to assist the heritage study process. The Heritage Study Committee is made up of representatives from history and heritage groups and a number of Aboriginal organisations in the shire.

The second step is the call for nominations of heritage items and places from community members. On June 15, from 6pm until 7.30 pm, at the Country Women’s Association (CWA) hall in River Street, Ballina, a public meeting calling for nominations will be held.

The council says residents can further the SWCBHS process by urging others to participate in the nomination process. “You can also assist by contacting council’s Heritage Officer, Kate Gahan, with the stories and histories you have associated with the shire, on telephone 66861 284. Any historic documentary material you may like to donate to, or share with, council would also be appreciated. Council can arrange to have this material copied or scanned and returned to you,” the council said.

To make nominations of heritage items and places in the shire download a nomination form and post it to The General Manager, Ballina Shire Council, PO Box 450, Ballina, NSW, 2478, or drop it at the council’s administration centre on the Corner of Tamar and Cherry Streets Ballina, Monday to Friday, 8.15am–4.30pm.

Ballina Info comment: This is great news. Here at Ballina Info, we love delving into our local history. We’ve read a couple of good local history books — Glen Hall’s Port of Richmond River and former Northern Star editor Cliff Murray’s Across Three Bridges are two good examples. This move by the council will only add to our local historical records by identifying places and buildings of historical value. This also helps with the preservation of local ‘icons’ such as the Pioneer Cemetery at East Ballina, plus places of natural significance. And the fact that the study is community-based means it could have a real ‘grassroots’ feel to it. This area is also rich in Aboriginal culture, and it’s a proven fact that the majority of international tourists can’t get enough of the world’s oldest living culture. We’ve added a category to our website — Local History — so feel free to contribute. Tell us your memories of Ballina. 

Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop says the bream are starting to come into the river but they’re still mostly fairly small, although there have been a couple of better fish. At night on the big tides baits like mullet and mullet gut have been effective while the plastic-tossers have been picking up a few during the day.

Blackfish moving in in droves so they should be great over the next few weeks. A few decent lizards in the lower reaches on live baits and big plastics. Whiting still going OK well up river to Woodburn but their condition is getting poor.

Jewfish have been good around the walls and the lower reaches as the mullet have been on the move, with jewies to 16kg on live mullet each night.Tailor are doing well from the beaches and most headlands and the size seems to be improving. Not a lot of reports from outside but if the sea flattens off over the weekend the wider grounds should have good pearlies and snapper.

At Evans Head offshore conditions have been marginal, with few boats venturing past Joggly in the southerly regime. Are the mackerel still out there? Who knows? The beaches have been fishing quite well for mixed bags and the baitfish are still about, though in lesser numbers. Good results fishing the close gutters with soft plastics with bream, flathead, dart and chopper tailor going quite well.

Good bream on bait with the best of the tailor after dark along with a few school jew.

Nice tides this weekend for the beach and the estuary, where the bream are in good numbers but typically shy during the day.

The Department of Environment and Conservation has reported sightings off Coffs Harbour.

National Parks says the two species most commonly seen in our waters are humpback and southern right.

Good spots in the Ballina Shire region to see migrating whales are Lighthouse carpark at East Ballina, Boulders Beach headland and Lennox Point. North Wall and South Wall at Ballina don’t provide the higher viewing platform of those sites, but they are still good vantage spots.

And for those lucky enough to be able to get out on the water to watch whales, a word of warning: Changes to the marine mammal approach distances became effective on June 1.

For those wishing to get out on the water check out the local Ballina and Byron Bay whale watching tour operators!

Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop says there have still been some good hauls of whiting, from the lower river right up to Woodburn. The further upstream you get, the less the fish want worms and the more partial they are to yabbies and prawns.

There’s still the odd decent flattie in the lower river and the bream and blackfish have started. Bream are a little small so far and blackfish weed is hard to come by but catches and size of both species will improve over coming weeks.

A school of mullet ran to sea earlier in the week and we should see the run continue when the next westerly change
arrives.

On the beaches tailor have been quite good but they’re a little patchy at times. The top of Seven Mile Beach has been as good as anywhere, as have most of the headlands. Better quality bream have been taken on the beaches and off the rocks, too.

Offshore, the wider grounds have snapper and pearl perch and very little current, so there should be plenty of action out there this weekend. The mackerel remain very patchy at best.

Bruce Legge at Dave’s Bait Shop says the whiting are still going well up to Pimlico Island on live bloodworms, with a few good flatties to 5kg coming from North Creek up to Pimlico.

A few school jew are poking around along the Town Reach and just above the ferry — at long last.

Whispers of a few blackfish getting caught but you’ll have to use cabbage because weed is scarce as yet.

Dart and whiting have been prominent along the beaches with a few sea-run bream starting to get going as well.

Plenty of good tailor from the top of Seven Mile Beach with a few around the walls and headlands as well. Obey the
signs restricting vehicle access to the top of Seven Mile because Byron Shire Council has been enforcing the closure.

Outside, the mackerel are still very scarce with just the odd one but when there was current on the 32s and unfishable the 48 was good for pearlies, snapper and the like.

North Wall at Ballina had a rideable swell up to 1.5m today, with smaller waves at Flat Rock and Boulder Beach.

Lennox Point could be the place to be if the big swell eventuates.

Meanwhile, young Angourie surfer Laurie Towner is mixing it with some big names after being named a finalist in Billabong’s annual big-wave awards.

He has been named a finalist in the tube riding category after latching onto a monster wave in Tasmania. Check it out at http://www.billabongxxl.com/awards/

Bruce at Dave’s Bait Shop says whiting are still doing quite well around North Creek, the Town Reach and up around Pimlico Island, even on the smaller tides this week.

Flatties are still hanging around, with live bait going well on the bigger fish up around Pimlico and soft plastics working
well in the Town Reach and along the walls.

Still masses of mud crabs around.

Bruce says there are a lot of little bream through the river but there are better fish around the walls and along the beaches.

A few decent schools of tailor moving through around the beaches and headlands with fish a little better than chopper class. The odd school jew has also been showing on the beaches.
At last, some Spanish mackerel have been taken off Riordans Reef and Lennox Point. Good snapper and pearl perch on the 32- and 38-fathom marks.