Park Beach Explained

Type:suburb
Park Beach
State:nsw
Coordinates:-30.2897°N 153.1189°W
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pop:5,375
Pop Year:2006
Pop Footnotes:[1]
Postcode:2450
Elevation:3
Dist1:545
Location1:Sydney
Dist2:435
Location2:Brisbane
Dist3:250
Location3:Surfers Paradise
Lga:City of Coffs Harbour
Stategov:Coffs Harbour
Fedgov:Cowper
Maxtemp:23.3
Mintemp:14.0
Rainfall:1674.6

Park Beach is a suburb of Coffs Harbour, northern New South Wales, located in the north eastern part of the town. It has a population of around 5,000 which swells during summer as it is a coastal tourist destination containing many motels, backpackers and other forms of accommodation. The suburb of Park Beach is generally considered to be the area within the Ocean Parade and Orlando Street intersection at the south, the Orlando Street and Woolgoolga Road intersection, the turnoff from the Pacific Highway onto Macauleys Headland Drive, and the southern end of the Coffs Coast Regional Park.[2]

Geography

Park Beach lies largely at sea level and is bordered on the eastern side by the Pacific Ocean. The beach itself (also named Park Beach) is a prominent part of the geography, and runs onto the elevated Diggers Headland and Coffs Coast Regional Park in the north. At the western side it is bordered by the suburb of North Coffs, while at the south lies North Wall, infamous for its strong rips which contributed to a 2009 drowning,[3] and the Coffs Harbour Jetty.

Beach

The beach itself is a patrolled scenic surf beach facing east onto the Pacific Ocean, with Diggers Headland and the Coffs Coast Regional Park at the northern end, and North Wall and Little Muttonbird Island at the southern end. The Coffs Harbour marina is clearly visible at the south. The beach is around 1.8 km long[4] and runs north to south. It is Coffs Harbour's main patrolled surf beach[5] and was used by 55,548 people between April and September 2011.[6] As a result, it is now patrolled year-round.

Its surroundings consist of bushland and a caravan park, and a toilet, showers, a car park and a picnic area are all available.[7] The Macauleys surf break is popular with both local and visiting surfers; other popular activities at the beach include sunbathing, swimming, kite surfing, diving, fishing, snorkelling, spear fishing and walking. The nearby Solitary Islands are also a popular destination for diving and boat tours, many of which depart from Park Beach.

Attractions

Park Beach is home to the largest shopping centre between Newcastle and the Gold Coast, Park Beach Plaza.[8] Other important places in the area include Park Beach Homebase,[9] Northside Shopping Centre, the Park Beach Holiday Park,[10] Park Beach Bowling Club,[11] York Street Playing Fields,[12] Pacific Towers,[13] the Coffs Harbour Surf Life Saving Club[14] and the Hoey Moey.[15] The Coffs Harbour Food and Wine Festival was formerly held annually at the southern end of Park Beach (Park Beach Reserve), on the edge of Coffs Creek.[16]

In October 2012, it was announced that Park Beach would be undergoing a $275,800 beautification program involving the construction of a viewing platform and equal access ramp from the beach carpark to public amenities and the main surf club entrance.[17]

Demographics

Many of the demographics of Park Beach fall outside those of the rest of Coffs Harbour and surrounding regions – "car ownership is less than half that of the rest of the mid north coast; the average household size is much smaller; household incomes are lower and the population tends to be more transient."[18] It also has a higher population of both indigenous and overseas-born residents than the surrounding areas, and a lower elderly population.[19] The population is steadily on the rise, with an increase of 357 or around 7% between 2001 and 2006, making it Coffs Harbour's second highest growth region behind West Coffs[20] though the average persons per household has fallen slightly in that time frame suggesting an increase in new properties being built.

Crime

Park Beach has earned a reputation as a hotspot for violence,[21] [22] [23] [24] [25] vandalism[26] [27] [28] [29] and drug crime,[30] [31] [32] [33] particularly in Boultwood Street, Prince Street and Vincent Street, and the area has been flagged as a 'red zone' (high density hotspot) by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research for domestic violence related assault, break and enter, graffiti, malicious damage to property and theft-related offences.[34] [35] This is largely due to the low socioeconomic standard of the neighbourhood, as it is part of the poorest electorate in Australia[36] and it contains a large amount of public housing. However, efforts are being made to clean up the area and improve its image and residents' safety[37] [38] [39] [40] including the formation of the Park Beach Community Group[41] [42] and a $200,000 injection of council funds in 2010.[43]

Sport

The suburb is home to the Park Beach Bowling Club (current district fours champions),[44] the PBBC Colts cricket team (finalists of the 2010 Coffs Coast Twenty20 Cup[45] and winners of the 2011 minor[46] and major[47] premierships) and North Coast Football's Northern Storm Football Club, whose junior teams play their home games at the York Street sporting fields. Even the area's sporting teams have been hit by crime[48] [49] but continue to call the area home.

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360&pg=138&gid=140&type=enum Key Statistics – Coffs Harbour (North East) – Coffs Harbour City Council Community Profile
  2. http://www.nswcommunities.org.au/typo3temp/pics/cb49575ead.jpg Park Beach Area
  3. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/01/08/danger-zone/ "Call for warning signs at North Wall"
  4. http://nswcommunities.org.au/2410.html Visitors to Park Beach
  5. http://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/our-community/facilities-parks-and-places/beaches/Pages/BeachPatrols.aspx Coffs Harbour City Council – Beach Patrols
  6. http://www.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/Coffs-And-Council/media-centre/Pages/MR-Park-Beach-Offers-Best-Option.aspx Coffs Harbour City Council – Park Beach Offers Best Option
  7. http://beachwiki.org/Park+Beach+-+Coffs+Harbour BeachWiki – Park Beach
  8. http://www.parkbeachplaza.com.au/centre-info/getting-here Park Beach Plaza
  9. http://www.parkbeachhomebase.com.au/centre-info/gettinghere Park Beach Homebase
  10. http://coffscoastholidayparks.com.au/park-beach-holiday-park/ Park Beach Holiday Park
  11. http://www.pbbc.com.au/ Park Beach Bowling Club
  12. http://www.northernstorm.com.au/maps.html York Street Playing Fields
  13. http://www.pacifictowers.com.au/ Pacific Towers
  14. http://www.coffsharbourslsc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_qcontacts&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=8 Coffs Harbour Surf Life Saving Club
  15. http://www.hoeymoey.com.au/contact.php The Hoey Moey
  16. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2006/10/30/apn-food-and-wine-fest-a/ "Food and wine fest a sellout"
  17. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2012/10/10/taking-park-beach-views/ "Taking in the Park Beach views"
  18. http://nswcommunities.org.au/streetscape.html Physical Environment – Streetscape
  19. http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360&pg=138&gid=140&type=ures&#ma Key Statistics – Coffs Harbour (North East)
  20. http://profile.id.com.au/Default.aspx?id=360&pg=138&gid=160&type=ures&#ma Key Statistics – Coffs Harbour (West)
  21. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/09/28/park-beach-coffs-vandal-crime/ "Park Beach 'not a safe place'"
  22. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/10/23/park-beach-crime-coffs/ "Bashed in daylight at Park Beach"
  23. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/08/03/resident-park-beach-property-coffs/ "Coffs resident is 'living in fear'"
  24. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2008/11/15/stabbing-at-park-beach/ "Stabbing at Park Beach"
  25. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2011/06/16/man-shot-gunman-still-at-large/ "Man shot, gunman still at large"
  26. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/08/10/youths-run-riot-park-beach/ "Youths run riot in Park Beach"
  27. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/09/27/park-beach-coffs-vandal-crime/ "Kids out of control at Park Beach"
  28. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/01/06/vandal-attacks-frustrate-couple/ "Park Beach vandalism annoys locals"
  29. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/11/30/vandals-on-the-run-park-beach-jetty-rampage/ "Vandals on the run"
  30. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/05/27/alleged-drug-lab-seized-park-beach/ "Alleged drug lab seized in Park Beach"
  31. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2009/02/25/drug-swoop-cops-swoop-on-drug-labs-at-park-beach/ "Police swoop on drug labs at Park Beach"
  32. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/05/28/deadly-drugs-coffs-park-beach-crime-police/ "Deadly drugs hit streets"
  33. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2012/02/02/man-arrested-raid-face-court/ "Firearm and drugs found in raid"
  34. http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/vwFiles/CoffsHarbourLGA.xls/$file/CoffsHarbourLGA.xls NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research – Coffs Harbour LGA
  35. http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_lga_crimemaps NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research – Coffs Harbour LGA
  36. http://newenglandaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2007/10/new-englands-federal-electorates-cowper.html New England Australia – New England's Federal Electorates – Cowper
  37. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/09/17/police-target-park-beach-anti-social-crime/ "Police curb crime at Park Beach"
  38. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/09/16/clean-up-park-beach-vandalism-graffiti-residents/ "Push to clean up Park Beach image"
  39. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/10/23/park-beach-coffs-crime/ "Call to action at Park Beach"
  40. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/10/06/public-meeting-park-beach-behaviour-coffs/ "Park Beach crackdown imminent"
  41. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/11/27/park-beach-gets-community-group-unite/ "Park Beach community unites"
  42. http://nswcommunities.org.au/parkbeach.html Park Beach Community Group
  43. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/09/29/park-beach-coffs-harbour-council/ "Park Beach to get a $200k facelift"
  44. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2011/03/31/park-beach-wrap-up-district-crown-bowls/ "Park Beach wrap up district crown"
  45. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2010/02/17/colts-kick-out-for-honours-tonight/ "Colts kick out for honours tonight"
  46. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2011/03/22/real-deal-coffs-harbour-colts-cricket/ "Colts are the real deal"
  47. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2011/04/16/record-is-in-safe-hands-park-beach-cricket/ "Record is in safe hands"
  48. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2007/09/26/apn-bowls-club-terrorised-by/ "Bowls club terrorised by robbers"
  49. http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/story/2006/07/22/apn-thief-gets-the/ "Thief gets the spoils"

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Park Beach".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.