Poor management has degraded a Port Macquarie landmark, some residents say.
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Tacking Point Lighthouse, a leading attraction for tourists and residents, is showing signs of disrepair.
Crowds flock to the Heritage-listed site throughout winter for the busy whale-watching season.
The headland also marks the end of the popular Coastal Walk from Town Beach.
But the lighthouse is showing its age, and the surrounding area has been severely eroded.
Keen photographer Gerry Walsh, 57, visits the lighthouse every day.
“The degradation of the site from pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic is disgraceful,” he said.
“From the town to where we stand, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on the coastal walkway. But the site the coastal walkway leads to has been totally neglected.”
Mr Walsh said the narrow roadway to the lighthouse had caused traffic problems leading to erosion.
He has photographed large buses blocking traffic and struggling to navigate the narrow turning circle.
The protection of the former lighthouse keeper’s cottage had also been neglected, he said.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, was disgusted by rust damage to the lighthouse itself.
“How anybody could allow this site to remain in this deteriorated condition ... is irresponsible,” she said.
The lighthouse building is the responsibility of the NSW Land and Property Management Authority (LPMA), while NSW Maritime is responsible for the actual light.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is responsible for maintenance of the surrounding area.
But residents are dismayed the triple-pronged management system has failed to protect the historic site.
A better regimen has been on the agenda for years, but no progress has been made.
An LPMA spokesman said the department was aware of ongoing vandalism issues.
But he placed the burden of traffic and erosion problems squarely on council.
Council’s manager of infrastructure operations Gary Randall said investigation options to improve traffic and parking had been undertaken.
“While a long term strategy has already been identified in the Corporate Plan, it is not an immediate priority,” he said.