At the southern end of Terrigal Beach there is small headland with a platform of smooth brown rock at its base. The rock platform stops well short of the beach at the Haven so you have to walk up and over a hill to reach the Haven.
For possibly tens of thousands of years, people, initially the local Aborigines and then early European settlers and latterly local residents and tourists, have fished from the rock platform or just stood gazing out to sea.
Now sadly that beautiful viewing platform is not accesible. The local council has funded the construction of an elevated walkway under the cliff which they say will improve pedestrian access to the Haven and also be a tourist attraction .They are probably right on both counts but it is an unattractive intrusion and it has destroyed a wonderful local natural feature.
Back in December 2017 I took the above photo and posted it on the blog. It's been a favourite shot of mine but I had no idea who the lady was. Then a local character, Ray, who I see most mornings and who follows my blog, by chance volunteered to me that her name is Cheryl.
That would have been the end of the story but by coincidence eight months later I found myself walking with Cheryl on the local 5 Lands Charity Walk from McMasters Beach to Terrigal. She was a delightful walking companion and we did another walk together a few months later. After that we
exchanged emails a few times and then she disappeared from my radar until I met her walking in Terrigal early one Saturday morning last November. She misses her rock.
Now the walkway is nearing completion. The local federal member of parliament who turns out for the opening of an envelope will be there with her tape cutting scissors no doubt but for many of us it will be a sad day. Another part of old Terrigal lost.
I will post some photos of the walkway when it is open if I can bring myself to photograph it.
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