An anti-development campaign by residents of one of Australia’s richest suburbs has backfired spectacularly and will instead mean a much-loved beachside cafe will close after 30 years.
Moby Dicks in Whale Beach, Australia’s eighth most expensive postcode, will close its doors permanently in December following a planning dispute that ended up in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court.
Located 40km north of central Sydney, Whale Beach hugs Dolphin Bay, meaning almost all residents have a view of the water. Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm, former TV star Mike Munro and ex-Qantas boss Alan Joyce all live here.
It’s also where Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall are building their $30 million “Westfield-style” mega-mansion, much to the anger of some neighbors.
Moby Dicks, located atop the Whale Beach Surf Club, has been an iconic Sydney wedding and event venue for nearly three decades thanks to its stunning ocean views.
Acquired by Boathouse Group in 2014, its events business allowed the venue to stay open when it couldn’t stay afloat as a restaurant alone.
But after receiving a complaint that Moby Dicks had been holding events on the premises without permission (Whale Beach’s Local Environment Plan (LEP) does not allow functions), the Boathouse Group is to close the cafe.
“It’s a terrible loss for the community,” Whale Beach Surf Life Saving Club committee member Jon Pratten told the Sydney Morning Herald, while Boathouse Group chief executive Antony Jones described it as “a tragedy and an embarrassment to the community.”
Moby Dicks, located on top of the Whale Beach Surf Club on Sydney’s northern beaches, will close its doors in December
Moby Dicks, with its stunning ocean views (above), has been a beloved Whale Beach spot for decades, but a complaint to the council is forcing it to close permanently.
Whale Beach is also where Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall are building their $30 million mansion, much to the anger of some neighbors.
The complaint was lodged with Northern Beaches Council and came after a vigorous campaign by locals, who formed the Friends of Whale Beach group, to oppose the development of an adjacent mega restaurant.
The proposal by the Cassar family, who are involved in the tourist industry, was to demolish a local café and other shops and build a 170-seat restaurant and five apartments practically next door to Moby Dicks on Whale Beach Road.
This sparked outrage among wealthy residents at the disruption to their peaceful enclave and the case ended up in the Land and Environment Court. Neighbours inundated Northern Beaches Council with concerns about noise, parking, traffic and even allegations of danger to life.
Written objections came from Michael Shehadie, son of former New South Wales governor Dame Marie Bashir, Magellan investment chief Gerald Stack, former Goldman Sachs boss Charles Gorman and merchant banker Mike Crivelli.
Also speaking were Travelogic founder Craig Smith, Macquarie director Phil Coffey and Margot Coleman, the widow of the late comedian Jonathan Coleman.
Lea Cleary, wife of former TV presenter and journalist Mike Munro, cited cases of “road rage” along the Whale Beach Road strip, fuelled by alcohol consumption, which was legal until 10pm.
The TESLA chairman is new to the “who’s who of Australian corporates” of Whale Beach on the Northern Beaches, while Margot Coleman, widow of TV comedian Johnathan Coleman, was one of many to lodge an objection to the restaurant’s expansion.
Harold Scruby, chief executive of the Pedestrian Council of Australia and a Whale Beach property owner since 1978, has criticised the “misleading” parking survey included in the development application for the proposed expansion.
He said that in the peak summer months, there was a “traffic jam of drivers, often frustrated and hot, who were forced to reverse up to 200 metres out of the car park, while dozens of pedestrians with children had to dodge these vehicles”.
Mr Scruby predicted that as Whale Beach has no public transport, the expansion of the site with the inevitable increase in cars would cause “serious injuries or deaths that are waiting to happen”.
“No one objected to the original proposal of 70 seats that was approved by the council,” he said.
When the Cassar group went to the Land and Environment Court with an extended application for the 170-seat venue, locals went “wild”.
In the end it was decided that the restaurant could hold 80 people until 6pm and up to 150 in the evening, when the day-trippers had already gone home.
However, it was during the dispute that Northern Beaches Council received a complaint warning it that Moby Dicks’ performances did not comply with LEP rules.
The restaurant, which joined the Boathouse Group in 2014, had been a popular venue for weddings and events for its stunning ocean views.
Model Jennifer Hawkins and husband Jake Walls’ controversial mega-mansion on Whale Beach (above) sits on the southern tip of a huge clifftop plot of land.
The group wrote on its website: ‘After over 10 years of hosting many incredibly special weddings, parties, anniversaries, community events and more, we will be closing our doors permanently at the end of December 2024.
‘We are so grateful for over a decade of loving memories and celebration and would like to thank all the happy couples, clients and local community we have hosted at the venue over the years.’
The closure is also a blow to the volunteer-run Whale Beach Surf Club, which relies on financial support from Moby Dicks for beach patrols.
When Boathouse Group leaves Moby’s as operator this summer, the surf club will lose two-thirds of its revenue, or $200,000, according to a report.
Boathouse Group, which owns a number of venues on the Northern Beaches including Barrenjoey House in Palm Beach and The Boathouse at Shelly Beach, Manly, has been contacted for further comment.
The closure of Moby Dicks is just the latest blow to nightlife on Sydney’s Northern Beaches peninsula.
This follows setbacks suffered by The Joey, a restaurant located in the former Barrenjoey boathouse in nearby Palm Beach.
The owners of the venue had submitted an offer to extend the opening hours until 11pm each evening. It is currently open from 7am to 4pm every day and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays during daylight savings time.
More than 130 residents supported the plan, but it was rejected by Northern Beaches Council after some disgruntled residents complained about noise.
This is despite the fact that the place is 800 meters from its nearest neighbor, with a golf course separating it from the house next door.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns even criticised the curfew as the “opposite direction” to which he wanted the state to go.
Only seven residents objected, including two who live on Waratah Road, about 11 minutes’ walk from The Joey, while four did not give their address.
This comes after The Joey in Palm Beach was banned from extending its opening hours after neighbours complained, even though the nearest resident was half a mile away.
Financial adviser Stephen Jones led the charge against the request, saying it was “totally unreasonable” and would cause unbearable anxiety to his family.
He said the nine-hole golf course between his home and the venue was not long enough to drown out the music when the venue was open late.
“I object… due to a significant increase in the duration of loud music and particularly the deep bass effects that resonate from the venue and can be heard from inside our home,” Jones said in a presentation to the council.
‘This loud, deep bass music significantly affects our comfort and well-being.
‘You can hear music and noise from guests inside my room.
“It is totally unreasonable that nearby residents should have to suffer noise problems because this establishment operates seven days a week.”
However, inspired by Joey’s case, Mr Minns proposed the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Vitality Reforms) Bill 2024, which was passed by the NSW Cabinet in May.
The bill will require local councils and relevant authorities to take into account a set of “Vitality Guidelines” when assessing certain applications to extend operating hours.