Shoalhaven residents have known it for a long time but it seems the world is finally starting to realise that the area does have the best beaches in Australia. It would seem that Hyams Beach has become the place to be and be seen this summer as thousands flock to the small coastal village.
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Long gone are the days of the sleepy coastal hamlet with beach shacks lining the edge of the bay’s crystal clear water. When the weather starts to warm up it now signals the influx of visitors.
Council have put in place a contra-flow arrangement for traffic and there have been reports that the Hyams Beach Cafe has been so crowded that no one can move, like proverbial sardines in a can.
One of the employees at the cafe said it was always busy during summer but it has been getting busier each year. She credited social media with spreading the message about Hyams Beach and its claim of the whitest sand in the world drawing visitors to the area.
Craig McIntosh owns and operates The Holidays collection from Hyams Beach, which has 95 properties for rent. One of those is the most expensive property on the South Coast, at $12,000 a week.
‘It is very busy. In terms of visitors I would say it is comparable to last year,” Mr McIntosh said.
“ All of our in-house accommodation is full and rentals are booked out from the Christmas week until Australia day. We get a lot of people coming and looking for their dream beach house but we have serious lookers buying throughout the year. Hyams Beach is where the south coast’s most expensive rental properties are,” he said.
“There are only 260 dwellings and it’s completely surrounded by national park, a little piece of paradise.”
Mr McIntosh believes that the village was caught unawares by Destination NSW’s decision to showcase Hyams Beach as its feature location this year.
“The village has been a bit overrun and there has been some negative reaction, especially In terms of infrastructure such as toilets, rubbish bins and parking.
“I don’t think anyone realised how popular or successful the DestinationNSW promotion would be,” he said.
“The main issue is how to deal with the daytrippers.”
A long-time resident of the village (who preferred not to be named) was quick to praise the actions of both the local council and Mr McIntosh for their efforts in helping Hyams Beach cope with the influx of visitors.
“The rubbish has been a problem in the past but council have been collecting both the normal and recycling bins weekly and I have seen the local property manager driving around early in the morning and making sure the bins were not overflowing. It’s as good as can be expected,” he said.
“The traffic has been out of control, with cars parked everywhere. I came home the other day and someone had parked across my driveway. When the council first put the rangers up the street to control the traffic flow it got a bit crazy,” he said.
Mayor Gash said the arrangements at the entrance to Hyams Beach would enable other traffic to safely turn around at the intersection.
“The Shoalhaven is one of the most visited destinations on the entire eastern seaboard making the area particularly busy during the holiday period,” said Cr Gash.
“To help alleviate traffic issues in and around the Hyams Beach this holiday period council will be undertaking patrols in this area.
“Traffic control signage including variable message signs will be in place during this time.”
“Maps have also been prepared and will be handed out to help advise people of other alternative beach locations in that part of Jervis Bay,” she added.
