[Facebook]
After three years of closure, Shark Beach at Nielsen Park at Vaucluse in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and its much-loved kiosk are finally reopening, with the construction fencing coming down this month, The New Hearld says citing a report in The Sydney Morning Herald.
According to the report, Shark Beach closed in March 2022 for the replacement of its century-old seawall, with plans to reopen by December that year. However, wet weather, asbestos discoveries, and engineering disputes pushed the timeline back significantly.
Bill Drakopoulos, operator of The Nielsen hospitality complex, said that beachgoers were not daunted.
“People were coming in by kayak to swim on the beach because it wasn’t fenced on the waterside. You can’t stop Aussies,” he was quoted as saying, recalling the determination of Sydneysiders to access the harbour beach even during the lengthy closure.
Now, with the recent replacement of the beach’s signature safety net, Drakopoulos said the finishing touches are complete on Nielsen Park’s rejuvenated waterfront.
“It’s a really close-knit community here, meeting for a swim and a coffee. They’ve missed the beach,” he said, according to the report.