Sydneysiders with nowhere else to go on the hot summer’s day are packing beaches along the lower north shore, as the northern beaches remains closed over COVID-19 concerns.
Photos show “wall to wall umbrellas” and social distancing being blatantly ignored at popular Balmoral Beach in the wealthy suburb of Mosman.
Located in the lower north shore, it’s only a few suburbs away from the contagious northern beaches.
It comes just a day after “gross” and “sick” images surfaced of jam-packed Sydney shopping centres on Boxing Day, and a wild Bronte Beach Christmas party the day before that, despite government health warnings.
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My daughter has been working at the #Balmoral Kiosk since breakfast and says no-one is practising social distancing. No @MosmanCouncil rangers or @nswpolice in sight.
— Sue Stephenson (@susanstevo) December 27, 2020
RELATED: Popular beach trashed in Boxing Day party
The poster, UTS journalism lecturer Sue Stephenson, linked the overcrowding to knock-on effects from the northern beaches cluster.
It’s a “direct result of the northern beaches lockdown,” Ms Stephenson said.
Beach-loving sun seekers in the city’s north have few other places to go, unless they are willing trek to other parts of Sydney.
“It’s the only major beach on the north side that’s still open,” she told news.com.au. “The crowd is mostly day-trippers looking for the first beach on the north side.”
I’m definitely not at a very busy, very white..very middle class beach that neighbours the Northern Beaches ð¤£
Gawd.. not even 11am yet.#COVID19nsw pic.twitter.com/4pySDh4yxq— Order No.227 (@AnthonyCole68) December 26, 2020
NSW police confirmed to news.com.au that they had not attended the scene and had not received any calls of complaint either.
Meanwhile, a heavy police presence in Bondi Beach is keeping beachgoers dispersed.
“Bondi Beach has had people out checking social distancing and asking people to head south side when north gets too busy. Everyone’s been really great about it,” said journalist Michelle Stephenson in reply.
Balmoral is not the only beach causing fears of being a superspreader event.
Over in the eastern suburbs, pictures submitted to news.com.au show overcrowded beaches at Parsley Bay and Shark Beach.
In Cronulla in Sydney’s south, it also appears pretty packed.
Cronulla Beach – Sydney Australia
Sunday 27 December 2020 pic.twitter.com/2e1ar3iyEe
— 961iceberg ðð¦ðº (@961iceberg) December 27, 2020
However, people locked down on the northern beaches are getting a slight reprieve, with no-one else in Sydney able to access their beaches.
They’re all at Balmoral
— Brendan J Miles (@BrendanJMiles1) December 27, 2020
