Australia’s beach towns struggle to cope with Christmas crowds

In the small seaside village of Seal Rocks, three hours north of Sydney, peace and quiet define daily life.

At least that used to be the case, before recent summers caused a surge in seasonal tourism.

The massive influx of visitors might be seen as an economic lifeline in other coastal communities, but here it’s not always welcome.

Since moving to the area in May 2021, former television presenter Katie Toney, her husband Dan, a cameraman, and their two children have witnessed the pressure of growing interest in the town, which only a permanent population of 56 inhabitants.

The couple run the local holiday park and have become a central figure in balancing the charm of their small village with the challenges posed by the thousands of visitors during the Christmas holidays.

“We obviously want people to come, it’s a tourist town and we want our campgrounds full,” Ms Toney said.

“Traffic can get heavy, so we have to be smart with our check-in days…it can be a challenge getting to the beach some days.”

Seal Rocks attracts thousands of people each year, especially during the summer months.

The village has one general store, limited development, and a single entrance and exit road.

For several years in a row, the MidCoast Council has urged tourists to stay away from Seal Rocks during the holiday period, after the village became saturated with tourists.

“It’s not just the Barrington Coast region of NSW that is experiencing these influxes, it’s the entire coastline of NSW,” said Paul De Szell, the council’s director of liveable communities.

Experts say the surge in interest in small coastal destinations like Seal Rocks was sparked by COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions.

Figures from Tourism Research Australia show Australians spent a record $9.6 billion on domestic travel in December last year, an increase of 21 per cent compared to December 2022.

During the same period, Australians took 9.5 million overnight trips, an increase of 5 per cent year-on-year, and spent 34.4 million nights overseas, an increase of 7 percent compared to the previous year.

Surf, inflate and strain

About 800 kilometers north of Seal Rocks, Queensland, a similar story is unfolding in Noosa.

The city’s idyllic surf spots and pristine beaches have long attracted travelers from around the world.

Paul Petersen, president of the Noosa Boardriders surf group, has lived there for two decades.

He said the growing influx of visitors, driven by social media and surf forecasts, had turned Noosa’s waves and streets into crowded battlegrounds during peak holiday periods.

“The Internet has made it easier for people to see when a swell is coming,” Mr. Petersen said.

He said a significant challenge was the lack of familiarity with surfing etiquette, which often leads to accidents, especially among inexperienced surfers.

“A 9-foot board with a 10-foot rope is essentially a 20-foot projectile,” Mr. Petersen said.

“We’ve seen injuries from fins and boards hitting people’s heads.”

Heated conflicts between surfers have also become a growing concern.

Mr Petersen said the extra traffic in Noosa during peak seasons also put a strain on local infrastructure.

“What takes six minutes to drive in the off-season can take between 45 minutes and an hour at Christmas,” he said.

Adding to the congestion are international tourists who camp in vans, often parking overnight in public spaces without proper facilities.

Noosa Shire Council deputy mayor Brian Stockwell said the council offered free buses during school holidays but was now exploring a congestion charge.

The proposed system would use vehicle recognition technology to identify and charge tourists to reduce traffic congestion.

The municipality has also trialled smart bins that automatically compact waste and launched plastic-free initiatives to cope with the growing number of visitors.

But he said the lack of housing and accommodation during peak periods was one of the biggest concerns.

“It doesn’t just affect residents, it also affects businesses that serve our visitor population,” Mr Stockwell said.

“Businesses are removing vacation units from the visitor market so they can accommodate their staff.”

The driving force behind the wave of tourists

Lisa Hannon, from the University of Queensland, said social media had propelled many lesser-known destinations into the spotlight.

“Social media has probably had the biggest impact on tourism since flying, drawing people’s attention to these new places they wouldn’t otherwise have heard of,” Professor Hannon said.

To balance the benefits of tourism and its challenges, she said it’s important for communities to attract “high-value visitors,” meaning those who stay longer and contribute more economically.

“Someone driving up, parking, bringing their own sandwiches and going home doesn’t do much to help the city,” she said.

Despite the seasonal overcrowding, Katie Toney said she enjoyed running a holiday park at Seal Rocks and her family had found a real sense of community with visitors returning year after year.

“It’s very generational,” she said.