State Government Commits To Dredging The Myall River

 BY IAN CROUCH

The state government has responded to calls from the Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest communities to address the silting up of the Myall River.

A hydrographic survey of the river in September 2023 by the Maritime Infrastructure Office confirmed there was a significant sand build up in the navigation channel, threatening the water gateway to Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest.

The government has committed to working with Mid Coast Council to dredge the channel, with the project estimated to cost around $2million dollars.

Subject to relevant approvals, the work is due to start before the middle of the year.

Dredging work on the Myall River is due to start within months Picture: Port Stephens Examiner

Fourth Person Charged Over Violent Hawks Nest Home Invasion

BY ISABEL EVERETT

A fourth person has now been charged over an alleged home invasion at Hawks Nest in June.

At about 10.30pm on June 30, a 78-year-old man opened the door of his home on Booner Street to three men, before he was allegedly assaulted and stabbed in the abdomen.

The group then made their way upstairs and allegedly assaulted a 53-year-old man before stabbing him in the back and neck multiple times.

A 30-year-old man was arrested at The Entrance Police Station on Monday 24 August.

He was taken to Wyong Police Station and charged with two counts of special aggravated enter dwelling with intent to wound.

He was refused bail to appear at Wyong Local Court today on Tuesday.

Two men – aged 22 and 46 – and a 30-year-old woman have also been charged in relation to the incident; they remain before the courts.

Two Men Arrested Over Violent Hawks Nest Home Invasion

BY IAN CROUCH

Police have made a breakthrough in their investigations into a violent home invasion at Hawks Nest last month, with the arrest of two men.

It's alleged a 78-year-old man was confronted by three men when when he opened the door to his Booner Street home around 10.30pm on Monday June 30, and was stabbed in the abdomen as they pushed past him.

Police say the group then headed upstairs where a 53-year-old man was stabbed in the back and neck.

Both alleged victims were taken to hospital and later released.

Yesterday, officers went to an address in Sinclair Street at Gosford and arrested two men aged 22 and 46.

It's alleged a number of knives and a homemade shotgun with ammunition were found, along with a quantity of drugs.

The older man has been charged with breach of bail, two counts of breaching an AVO, two counts of intimidation (DV), and special aggravated enter with intent (wound).

The younger man was charged with firearm offences, drug possession and special aggravated enter with intent (wound).

Both men have been refused bail to front Gosford Local Court today (Friday 31 July, 2020).

The Booner Street property where the alleged home invasion took place Picture: theherald.com.au

BREAKING! Two Men Stabbed In Hawks Nest Home Invasion

BY IAN CROUCH

Two men have been stabbed during a violent home invasion at Hawks Nest.

Police say three men aged in their 30's or 40's forced their way into the Booner Street home at about 10.30pm on Monday, assaulting and stabbing a 78-year-old man in the abdomen.

Police report the group then went upstairs and began assaulting a 53-year-old man, stabbing him in the neck and the back eight times whilst he was attempting to flee.

The men stole a purse and car keys from a 40-year-old woman, before fleeing the scene on foot.

The younger man was flown to John Hunter Hospital, in a stable condition.

The older man was driven to John Hunter Hospital suffering a stab wound and head injuries also in a stable condition.

The motive for the attack is not clear and it's not known at this stage if the victims and the attackers knew each other.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Investigations are continuing.

Woman Winched From Rock Fall At Hawks Nest

BY IAN CROUCH

A woman is recovering in the John Hunter Hospital after falling on rocks and injuring her ankle at Hawks Nest.

The Hunter's Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to the nearby headland just before 5.30pm on Monday.

Paramedics were winched down to the 29-year-old and stabilised her condition before she was winched on board the chopper and flown to the John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.

The injured woman is winched on board the Westpac Rescue Helicopter at Haws Nest

Father Of Starved Hawks Nest Girl Set To Stay In Gaol

BY IAN CROUCH

A father who did nothing while his 7 year-old girl starved to death at Hawks Nest more than a decade ago is set to be denied parole.

Ebony weighed only 9 kilograms when she died in 2007 in one of the worst cases of parental neglect ever seen in NSW.

Her father has become eligible for parole after serving 12 years of a 16 year sentence for manslaughter.

However, News Limited reports the Parole Board intends to block his application.

Ebony's mother was convicted of her murder and won't be eligible for parole until 2037.

7-year-old Ebony weighed just 9 kilograms when she died from malnutrition

Erosion Concerns at Jimmy's Beach

BY HANNAH-LOUISE ANDERSON AND CATHERINE ALLEN

The newly installed $4.1 million Sand Transfer System (STS) at Jimmy's Beach in Hawks Nest is experiencing technical difficulties and has ceased operating in the area.

Issues with its flow meter device have left the STS with pipe blockages and potential infrastructure exposure.

The device itself, originally designed to combat weather-induced erosion, was not a popular choice with local residents and members of the Winda Woppa Association who felt there were better ways to combat the sand degradation.

President of the Winda Woppa Association Ken Garrard says they need to work towards a more permanent solution.

"We have been talking to the council and all of the other stakeholders for some time now that the Sand Transfer System is purely a band-aid solution, that there is no proof that it will work, that we want a permanent solution." says Mr. Garrard, "We have even suggested what components might make a permanent solution, however, we haven't been successful in convincing anybody yet."

Mr. Garrard is calling on members of the community to pressurize local government and ensure that a long-term, permanent solution is found.

Photo by News of the Area

BREAKING! Emergency Crews Called To House Fire At Hawks Nest

BY IAN CROUCH

Fire has caused extensive damage to a house at Hawks Nest this morning.

Emergency services were called to a single level brick and Colorbond roof home in Mermaid Avenue just before 5.30am on Friday, arriving to find a rear bedroom well alight.

Police say the occupants of the home managed to escape without injury.

Fire crews were quickly on scene and managed to contain the fire to the one room.

Marauding Sharks Begin Feeding Frenzy On Escaped Kingfish

BY IAN CROUCH AND SAM ISAAC

Dolphin watch tour operators at Port Stephens say they're worried after packs of sharks moved in to feed on thousands of kingfish which escaped from a Hawks Nest fish pen last month.

Local fishermen say they've never seen anything like it as the sharks use their boats for cover before smashing through giant schools of kingfish.

However, the presence of the sharks has frightened off the dolphin population, with cruise operators unable to locate any of the aquatic mammals in their usual spots.

Similar shark activity occurred when Huon Aquaculture had a fish farm damaged during rough seas in January this year.

Due to the damage, around 20,000 kingfish escaped the sea cage, causing sharks to flock to the area and the new shark presence has sparked concerns over a second breach.

Huon Aquaculture has not confirmed a second breach, stating that they do not give out "commercially sensitive information."

The New South Wales government's DPI Fisheries (Department of Primary Industries) shares ownership of the fish farms with Huon Aquaculture making an objective investigation into the matter impossible for the government to provide.

Chairman of the Marine Parks Association Frank Future is calling for an independent inquiry as well as more oversight of the company.

Mr. Future also says the manager for Huon Aquaculture was sacked, though the reason for that is unknown.

The environmental impact, Mr. Future says, has been visible almost immediately after the shark's arrival, with less and less fish and dolphins staying in the area.

Despite the release of about 20,000 fish and the new shark population prevalent in the ecosystem, no environmental impact assessment has been attempted thus far.

Packs of Great Whites, Tiger and Bull Sharks Have Been Feasting On Escaped Kingfish