Thousands of people have flocked to Sydney’s beaches to celebrate Australia Day as temperatures surge beyond 40C.
Car parks at Balmoral Beach, Clifton Gardens Reserve, Chinamans Beach, Royal National Park and Clontarf Reserve have been closed, with beach goers asked to rethink their plans.
One Twitter user said there was no beachside parking left when they arrived at Balmoral Beach at 6.30am.
‘I had to park in a backstreet. Walked past and had a quick chat with a few people planning on being there all day, just getting in early to reserve a spot,’ the Twitter user wrote.
All beaches in the Mosman area on the Northern Beaches were almost at capacity by 10am, with the council warning people to stay clear of the area.
Pictured: People flocking to the shores of Balmoral Beach on Australia Day. The car park was closed by 10am
Pictured: People celebrating Australia Day in Cronulla, as beach car parks around the city reach capacity
Pictured: Families walking along the shores of packed Cronulla in Sydney’s south on January 26
‘Help Mosman stay safe by rethinking your trip to the beach during peak times, avoiding large crowds, maintaining physical distancing and hand hygiene and don’t forget to stay sun smart and water safe too,’ the council said on social media.
Waverley Council has also urged people to remember coronavirus restrictions and stay 1.5 metres away from other people.
‘This Australia Day, we urge the community to not be complacent about Covid-19,’ the Council tweeted.
‘Remember to maintain social distancing, check in with businesses, wear a mask on public transport, wash your hands and get tested if you have any symptoms.’
NSW Surf Life Saving chief executive Steve Pearce said beaches along the state’s coast were already packed by 10am on Tuesday, with many nearing capacity.
Pictured: A busy Bondi Beach on January 26. Many of Sydey’s beaches were at capacity early in the morning
Pictured: People cooling off in the water at Cronulla beach as the temperature starts to surge
NSW Surf Life Saving chief executive Steve Pearce said life savers have been gearing up for a bust Australia Day (pictured: a woman at Cronulla on Tuesday)
Sunday was a test run for authorities, one of the busiest days in years, with 250 rescues and 750 first aid treatments.
With high temperatures, the big swells, the large crowds, Tuesday will be even bigger, Mr Pearce said.
‘We have all our assets out on the water – every jetski available, every rubber duck, we have our Westpac rescue helicopter in the sky, and we have our drones flying everywhere as well.’
Six people have drowned in NSW in the past eight days, while another two men drowned in separate incidents in Victoria on Saturday.
Traffic warnings have been issued in coastal areas, including Balmoral, Clifton Gardens Reserve and Chinaman’s Beach
Pictured: A woman getting her photo taken at Cronulla on Australia Day, as people flock to the sand
Pictured: Australians swimming in the waves at Cronulla in Sydney early in the morning on Australia Day
A man who was snorkelling died after being pulled from the water at Narrabeen on Sydney’s northern beaches on Monday, while emergency services are searching for another man who disappeared while snorkelling near Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast.
A boy was also pulled from the water unconscious on Monday in Sydney’s northwest and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
‘We’re tracking for a really tragic summer,’ he said.
‘Statistically, every Australia Day one person will drown along the NSW coastline.’
‘That’s the reason why we’re on such high guard today… we know it’s going to be operationally frenetic.’
Pictured: People flocking to Cronulla to celebrate Australia Day, as temperatures surge beyond 40C
Police patrol Bondi Beach on horseback, as crowds are warned to remember coronavirus restrictions
Drownings are 2.4 times more likely to occur in Australia on public holidays.
NSW Ambulance’s Kay Armstrong said call-outs over the weekend were double the average level, and urged people to stay hydrated and look out for each other until the heatwave subsided.
BOM NSW manager Agata Imielska on Monday told reporters that Australia Day temperatures in western Sydney would top 40C, but coastal areas would benefit from a sea breeze, reaching about 35C.
‘Tomorrow we will see a change move across (NSW), starting across the south, bringing cloud and rain in the morning to southern areas,’ she said.
But the cool change may not reach Sydney until late on Tuesday evening.
Coronavirus social distancing restrictions are still in place, with police warning that anyone who defies public health orders will be fined.
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