Editorial: Clifton coast to fight another round

Clifton residents are fighting to keep their coast intact. Photo file

You have to admire the dogged folk at Clifton.

The owners of the campground and fishing club stalwarts therein remind me of the old-salt lighthouse keepers who day in, day out defied everything the ocean threw at them.

For years the briny has been eating away at one of the most iconic and historical (established in the 40s) camping spots in the region.

While much of it seems futile given the unrelenting ocean and numerous fallback positions needed, it's also a testament to how the stoic locals strive to preserve a way of life - not just a length of coastline.

Intergenerational land owner Angus Gordon has been more than generous in allotting slice after slice of his front paddock each time the existing road into the camp is lashed by the Pacific Ocean.

Last week it was heartening to hear an emergency limestone rock wall will be installed along the affected coastline to protect it during winter, ahead of a decision on a $1 million revetment. Councillors were forced recently to make a decision on whether to do nothing, which would have meant no access, or to accept an offer from the Clifton Marine Club and Clifton Reserve Society to fund and organise the building of a $96,000 1200m emergency wall, with the rocks incorporated into the revetment should it be approved.

Clifton Marine Club president Paul Hursthouse underscore the importance of keeping the road open for both tourism as well as the rescues performed from the boat ramp.

Nice to see council shore-up the gateway to one of the most acclaimed headlands in the country.