Voice of Byron

Itchy, flaky skin has driven psoriasis patients into hiding, but new treatments are bringing profound improvements to chronic sufferers.

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BYRON’S million dollar rock wall at Belongil Beach may not be as badly damaged as first appeared, although the question of ongoing repairs and maintenance costs has not been resolved.

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Byron Bay locals have slammed Byron Shire Council’s Interim Beach Access Stabilisation (IBAS) works in the aftermath of Saturday’s massive storm event which thrashed the Bay.

Coastal Management studies student and concerned local resident Lucy Ashley described the severely damaged rock wall as “buggered” after being rammed through by the “gang of five pro-rock wall councillors” just months ago.

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Kids making tipis/teepees from driftwood washed up after the heavy rainfall at Brunswick Heads. This image was taken from the south wall, Brunswick Heads, by Stephen Booth who says it's…

A MAN who claimed he was only growing marijuana to give to cancer patients has been jailed for up to five years after a judge decided he was less Robin Hooch and more the Share-Spliff of Nottingham.

Bradley Hindmarsh grew 396 marijuana plants worth $1.4 million inside a warehouse at Riverstone in Sydney’s northwest and pleaded guilty to cultivating a large commercial quantity of the drug.

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Activist scientists and lobby groups have distorted surveys, maps and data to misrepresent the extent and impact of coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef, ­according to the chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Russell Reichelt.

A full survey of the reef ­released yesterday by the author­ity and the Australian Institute of Marine ­Science said 75 per cent of the reef would escape unscathed.

Dr Reichelt said the vast bulk of bleaching damage was confined to the far northern section off Cape York, which had the best prospect of recovery due to the lack of ­onshore development and high water quality.

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Proposed NSW Government changes in coastal management signalled its intention to allow individual landowners the right to apply to protect their properties from erosion. But these proposed changes fail to address the medium-term (~40 years) problem, whilst promoting ad hoc coastal protection measures.

Medium-term engineering solutions, including beach nourishment to defend some residential areas, should not be ruled out. Parts of the present coastline may well need to be abandoned as they become impractical and too expensive to protect, but this time has not yet arrived.

Rising sea levels and increased coastal populations will place continuing pressure on beaches, and an integrated approach to managing the coastal zone is called for. Byron Bay was classified as a beach ‘erosion hotspot’ by the Australian Government in 2009.

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