The Whyalla community has faced repeated vandalism, with the latest damage targeting saltmarsh trails at Eight Mile and Murrippi beaches.

Whyalla City Council, Media Release, 28 October 2024

The Whyalla community has faced a string of vandalism over the past few months, with recent acts targeting the hard work of numerous community organisations involved in creating self-guided, interactive saltmarsh trails at Eight Mile and Murrippi beaches.

These trails, designed in collaboration with the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board, National Parks and Wildlife Service SA, Barngarla artists, and Whyalla City Council, were marked with QR codes that lead to videos guiding visitors through the scenic and educational routes. Unfortunately, four of the seven information posts have been stolen, and the remaining three were severely damaged as well as the intersection sign for Murrippi road has been torn down. It is believed that tools or possibly a vehicle were used to carry out the destruction, as the posts had been firmly concreted into the ground.

“This isn’t just vandalism,” said Barngarla artist Jason Croft. “It’s a huge disappointment on behalf of Barngarla artists who were involved in this project.”

The damage is not only a financial burden – wasting both taxpayer and ratepayer funds that contributed to the project – it also disrespects the Barngarla community’s cultural contributions to the project.

Mayor Phill Stone said this was yet another example of reckless vandals wasting community time and money.

“This is not just a disappointment to the project and the Barngarla people; it’s an affront to the entire Whyalla community. The saltmarsh trails were designed to educate and guide the community through the trail and instead, we are dealing with senseless destruction. These acts hurt everyone, from the artists who contributed to the project to the ratepayers who now shoulder the cost of repairs. It’s time we come together as a community and protect what we have.”

This is now the third significant act of vandalism in the past few months, following on from the damaged lighting on Hummock Hill  and the destruction of recently planted foreshore vegetation.  The total cost of vandalism repairs are expected to be in excess of $50,000  in the past year, with hundreds of hours of council employee time required to address acts of vandalism around the city.