There wouldn’t be many of us who didn’t spend a good part of our childhoods running up and down sand dunes, burying ourselves up to our necks and generally enjoying the beautiful coastline at our doorstep.

We all know about rips and undertows, we know about freak waves on the rocks and we know we share the waters with sharks.

But it’s hard to imagine danger could be present at the beach well away from the water’s edge.

The president of the Shoalhaven Heads Surf Lifesaving Club makes a good point in reminding us that the shoreline is not static.

Tides, wind, storms and weather are continually impacting on the beach and changing the geography of the dunes.  

An area that is safe one summer may be potentially deadly just one season later.

The recommendation to erect warning signs on beaches such as Shoalhaven Heads, should be followed up.

Not only is there an obvious danger at the moment due to the presence of large, unstable dunes, but it is an area that will be inundated with tourists over the coming summer months. 

But of course we can’t signpost the whole coast line.

Byron Gordon’s death was a freak accident, and took place on a relatively isolated beach in Ben Boyd National Park.  

It was a terrible tragedy for which no one is to blame and Byron’s family is being strongly supported by the close-knit communities of the far South Coast.

All we can do here in the Shoalhaven is to try and raise awareness of the danger when and where we see it, particularly with unsuspecting tourists who are about to descend on us. 

Perhaps the perils of unstable sand dunes need to be included on our signage already in place to warn of dangerous swimming and surf conditions.