Australians have been outraged by a sign blocking access to a beach unless visitors have paid for a permit.
A woman was left stunned after making the trip to Middle Beach, also known as Dharrpamiwuy, near the northeastern tip of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory.
He shared a photo on social media platform X showing a sign stating that it was an “indigenous protected area.”
You are entering a designated recreation area on private land. A visitor access permit from Dhimurru is required to enter,” it said.
The visitor attacked the sign that said she would not be prevented from “entering public places in my own country.”
‘Looks like a great place to swim. Come on!’ she wrote.
An annual family permit, which includes two adults and up to four children, costs $207.50, while an individual must pay $108 for one-year access.
A one-month visitor will cost an individual $89.25, while a 14-day permit costs $57.60 and a three-day permit costs $39.
A sign warning that a visitor permit was required to access a beach in the Northern Territory has outraged social media users.
Children receive a permit for up to one month for $15.50.
Several social media users expressed anger at having to purchase a permit to access the land.
“The best way to get rid of a nasty/unfair law is to continually break it en masse,” said one.
‘What kind of government expects you to get a permit to enjoy a beach? The only way this nonsense will end is if together we stop settling for it,” said another.
‘Taxpayers foot the bill for maintaining these areas. Go straight in,” responded a third.
Another added: “We are taught such a narrow view, no doubt on purpose to create division.”
‘We were all born on this planet, it’s our home, all of it. No group can claim a part when the whole belongs to everyone,” they wrote.
‘The purpose of our soul, as custodians, is to care for it and that is simply to leave it as you found it. It seems beyond ridiculous to have to pay to live on a planet you were born on.
Middle Beach, also known as Dharrpamiwuy, is described as “the perfect place to sit and enjoy the surroundings.”
However, some people believed that the sign should be heeded.
“Be grateful that you have indigenous people who care for the land and water,” they wrote.
‘A purely public beach would probably have litter, or worse. Some indigenous people where I live in Colombia have been on earth for 3,000 years.
“It’s flourishing because they value it above all else.”
Others pointed out that there was another sign nearby warning visitors to beware of crocodiles.
—Do you see that sign, but not the one behind it, which warns that saltwater crocodiles and deadly stingers live in the area? one wrote.
‘That’s why there is the first one, because people who are very stupid don’t read the signs!’
The traditional owners, the Yolŋu, need permits to travel and visit various areas of East Arnhem Land, which are issued by the non-profit Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation.
“The NT Aboriginal Land Act 1978 requires all persons to have a current permit,” the corporation’s website said.
‘These permits allow residents and visitors to access day-use recreation areas as much as they want, walk, visit beaches and inland waterways, fish, barbecue, etc.’
“They also allow you to purchase a camping permit if you stay overnight in the Dhimurru recreational areas.”
An Arnhem Land tourist site said Middle Beach “features a beautiful, wide stretch of white sand and plenty of shade from the several casuarina trees scattered around, making it the perfect place to sit and enjoy the surroundings.”
“If you’re lucky, you might even find one of the local food trucks parked here serving fresh fish and chips or pizza,” the site said.
‘This beach is also the location of one of the Gove Peninsula’s biggest events, the Nhulunbuy Rotary Club’s annual beach volleyball tournament.
As idyllic as it may seem, several X users pointed out that the cost of a permit was not the only reason Ms. Richards would be wise to avoid swimming at the beach.