The council has passed a recommendation to force dogs to be on-leash between Bridge Point, up to, and a long way past the Hindmarsh River towards Oliver’s Reef (pink area of image). Off-leash dog walking on Hayborough Beach has been a tradition and an institution of Victor Harbor for many decades. It is one of the few areas left to us where dogs can be dogs, to run (as dogs should), to jump in the ocean (as dogs love), to be happy and joyous, and socialised with other dogs on the beach.

Please help us keep this institution alive. There are people currently using the beach who have done so for more than 70 years! This joy should not be taken away from them. In addition, it has been advised by health advisors that people walking and talking in a calm situation on the beach with their dogs is a highly favourable thing to do for people's mental state of mind. For many people, this might be the only people-to-people interaction of the day, thus it is vitally important for this to continue. If dogs are forced to stay on-leash, this will harm the Karma that currently exists on Hayborough Beach. 

The change has been cited by the Council to protect Hooded Plover breeding on the beach. Successful breeding on the beach has been poor, probably due to attacks from seagulls and foxes. In fact, there have been no breeding pairs for the past couple of years. Instead, the Plovers have moved to the Bowling Club and have been very successful in that location...and this is a good thing. Their success is likely to due to the lack of foxes in that area, although they may be still threatened by seagulls. 

The majority of local residents walking dogs on the beach are retirees, and therefore not as mobile as they once were (there is a ramp to access the beach at Bridge Point). This change would adversely affect many older Victor residents and one resident, in particular, who is affected with Multiple Sclerosis, and is in a motorised wheelchair. This man would be unable to access a dog off-leash beach area as he cannot cross the Hindmarsh River in his wheelchair and, obviously, cannot use stairs to access the beach. 

The Victor Council has offered an alternative off-leash beach…Petrel Cove!!
Petrel Cove has very steep stairs and the majority of older dog walkers might be able to get down to the beach, but getting back up the cliff is a seriously different matter. The risk of falls or even heart attacks would exist. It is unknown (and unlikely) that the Council has conducted a risk assessment of Petrel Cove for older Victor residents. 

Please sign the petition below to get the Victor Council to rescind its proposal and maintain the status quo regarding off-leash dog walking on Hayborough Beach. We need to keep this tradition alive. 

Please act now as the by-laws are due to be changed on 3rd December 2023, not 1st January as previously stated.