[cam]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-boating-wakeboarding-and-water-sports-on-the-Hawkesbury-River/1628337527430257?sk=timeline
Looks like people on the Hawkesbury are getting some grief from local media regarding the use of boats on the Hawkesbury River.
If you are on facebook, check out the page above to see what is going on and if you can help.
Some rational and level headed support is what these sort of things need, but more importantly it's the numbers that they need to convince the legislators that wakeboarding and other boat driven activities are good for the community.
The majority of these bans or threats to ban are based on thinking they are doing right for the community, when in fact it's just a loud minority pressuring governments who think they are are going to lose votes if they don't act. Show them how many votes they will lose if they do act.

[thekid9012]

It's just really the same story over and over isn't it.. There must be a bunch of wankers like this on every river in Australia in the last few years. If history is anything to go off the guys trying to get wakeboarding banned have no leg to stand on especially if the studies done on the Shoalhaven a few years back are any sort of precedent to go off. Not to mention the economic impacts on the area which heavily relies on wakeboarding/waterskiing activity.

Good luck lads.

[steveo11]

Being a Windsor local, it's the last thing I want to see, considering I moved out there to be close to the river,

In my opinion, it's not so much the boats that cause the damage to the banks, it's the government that waits till the dam is about to over flow, then Goes, gee we better let the water out, so we end up with a massive flood, which destroys the banks completely, instead of moniting the dam, and just let a little bit out each time, so it does not damage the river or the property's on it,

Out of the three floods we have had in the past couple of years, I belive the over flow from the dam had caused two of these, and third Mother Nature

So this is the same government / council that wants to ban recerational boating

Just my two cents

[matt708]

This madness is going on down here in Victoria too, the minorities making a fuss and the ski clubs bending over backwards to appease them. Instead of pointing out that this sort of recreation for a lot of people helps life go on gets family's and friends together etc.
Hopefully the submissions we are putting in for our local water the Wimmera river can balance out the hysteria.
Wish us luck.

[ryno82]

This issue is a little bit bigger than everyone actually thinks. Once (if) this legislation passes threw parliament and they shut down wakeboarding/wakesurfing on the Hawkesbury- every local government with a waterways can implement the same legislation shutting down our beloved sport state wide /nation wide..
All it takes is a hand full of whinging Doo gooder hippies to kick up a stink and the Shut it down river by river.. They have tried it at Shoal Haven, no more wakeboarding on the Wallamba river at Forster, they have shut down usage to 90% of the river at clarencetown town, half of the Williams river at raymond terrace, the list goes on. If this actually gets passed and goes through on the biggest wakeboarding community river around we could all be in a bit of trouble..

EVERYONE needs to fill out these surveys, not just the local Hawkesbury river riders, need to write letters away to the local council, pretty much wakeboarders state wide/ even nation wide need to unite on this and fight as 1.. These greens/ landowners certainly won't back down..

[nathanb84]

We have had this same issue up here on the Tweed River. There are a couple of green councilors up here who only enjoy passive activities. You also have the fishermen in their tinny's who want to roll their boat straight off the trailer and sit in the middle of the river and then complain about boat wake.

I will say though that wakeboarders are their own worst enemy. As boats and boat wakes get bigger more people aregoing to get upset. Even in a 19ft ski boat with more free board than most ski boats, when a SAN goes past while we are picking up a rider or getting someone ready the wave coming towards us is pretty intimidating. I'd hate to be in a tinny or canoe.

Music is another thing. While you should be able to enjoy some tunes on the river, not everyone wants to hear it.

Wake boats and wake boarders seem to be attacked harder than anyone. People used to put up with skiers but some wakeboarders have taken it to another level.

I will probably get flamed for this but if this issue keeps popping up, maybe we need to look at what we as wakeboarders can do

[nevergrew]

Yep, what ^ he said. Folks have been enjoying water skiing on these rivers for many decades without a problem.

Obnoxious wake boats/owners have ruined it for themselves.

[feral]

Yep, what ^ he said. Folks have been enjoying water skiing on these rivers for many decades without a problem.

Obnoxious wake boats/owners have ruined it for themselves.

As much as i hate Obnoxious wake boats/owners I don't think that is fair or accurate.

We have had very similar issues in SA and what is very clear is there is a very wide variety of users.

Having been on the river on an off all my life (I ride in the veterans class....)

- there are many more houseboats,
- there are more shacks with more elaborate pontoons and docks,
- boats have changed - including ballast
- there where no wakeboards or kneeboards and toobs consisted of inner toobs
- jetskis have been invented and are a large user,
- car (boat) stereo's didn't really exist 30 years ago so unless you had a set of 400kg wharfedales strapped to the back of your straight 6 clinker noise was never a problem
- there are families/groups that will often have a boat and 2 jetskis (or more) all stationed at the same spot (never seen 10 years ago)
- there are canoes, fishing canoes, paddle canoes and all sorts of canoe nerds everywhere.
- all of the above are relatively cheaper than they were 30+ years ago

Basically there are far more users with far more diverse activity ALL WITH A RIGHT TO USE THE RIVER

Yes there are a obnoxious arseclowns but I feel they are the minority - many simply don't know they are causing issue.

The biggest issue is not managing the increased demand and not educating the users.

[dunya]

Feral is exactly right.

We are lucky enough to have a great group of people who have created a board which we in Wakeboard SA have a member sitting on, which is working to be involved with all parties to ensure all users of the Murray river know how to respect each other.
Something that is in the pipeline is a code of conduct which will hopefully be on signs at every boat ramp in SA, along with being distributed in various ways to river users.

Something that we in Wakeboard SA want to be involved in and ensure all of our members are aware of.

Courtesy by all river users is something that is ignored by a minority, but make it difficult for the majority.