All,

KBV have been written to by Hobsons Council this week by way as additional reminder as to our responsibilities at Altona Beach. In summary, we have been notified that, as per existing regulations:

- we can only rig up or pack down inside the designated kiting zone
- inside the kiting zone we can kite at any speed (i.e. 5 knot rule does not apply)
- Outside of the kiteboarding zone, we cannot pack up or rig down and the 5 knot rules applies (i.e. we must kite at 5 knots or less within 200m of beach and within 50m of boats, swimmers, piers etc
- commercial lessons by schools and instructors are not permitted at Altona

The kiteboarding zone (known as the Altona Foreshore Activity Zone) is 100 metres east of Romawi Street to Apex Park. There is a sign on the beach 100 mts east of Romawi street indicating the start of the Zone.

KBV's full communication on this matter, a copy of Hobson's bay letter to KBV and a map of the kiting and non kiting zones at Altona can be found at our website at the following location:

www.kbv.org.au/kbvmain/kbv-headlineview.php?hlid=126.htm

Parks Vic and Hobsons Bay will now be patrolling the area and can issue fines if rules are found to be breached.

This is simply a reinstatement of existing policy. Please adhere and follow the rules stipulated.

Any queries - please reach out to us at info@kbv.org.au.

Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to info@kbv.org.au
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria

I'm lazy and the links to the map of the designated zones weren't particularly well labeled. How about you attach a an image of what your talking about?

iRideWainman said...

I'm lazy and the links to the map of the designated zones weren't particularly well labeled. How about you attach a an image of what your talking about?

Here you go...





Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to info@kbv.org.au
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria

Is this serious.

The zone designated as kiting covers a very MINOR portion of the current area where kites are set up, AND this area has not only a major groin near it, it also has the smallest distance to the trees.

This is one of the small number of designated kite zones, and it doesnt seem as though kiteboarders have been involved in the discussions.

KBV - surely this was considered when the zoning was worked through (or are we going to lose this area like we lost the area at Port Melbourne)......

Three issues here:

1/ There are very few areas around the bay which have been designated appropriate to kite at - which incorporated the complete banning of the area around port melbourne.

2/ Of those small number of areas, the area at Altona which has been designated a kite area does not make sense from a kiting perspective - ie. majority of the area either has road directly in front of it, OR massive pine trees right on the shore line.

3/ Finally, I havent seen anywhere in the zoning laws that suggests you are not able to launch/land in the areas outside a "kiting zone" - which is what is being purported in the first post of this thread. As pointed out by the other poster - if this is the case anyone launching further east than the house at 205 esplanade st - and defintiely not as far as McBain St - is in breach of said ruling (this is the majority of kiters on any given afternoon).

All of the above points suggest that the zoning process which occurred appears to have taken minimal feedback from kiters which are the ones going to be fined between $244.28 and $1221.40 (or 2 and 10 penalty units).

I don't see this as "Bringing the Local Kiters into the Fold", but more as working towards a reasonable solution. There are far more kiters on the beach on a windy evening (obviously - I mean who wants to have sand blown in their face from a squally 30kt night), along with the fact that Altona is one of the FEW beaches around the bay we are actually able to kite at.

matto said...

Three issues here:

1/ There are very few areas around the bay which have been designated appropriate to kite at - which incorporated the complete banning of the area around port melbourne.

2/ Of those small number of areas, the area at Altona which has been designated a kite area does not make sense from a kiting perspective - ie. majority of the area either has road directly in front of it, OR massive pine trees right on the shore line.

3/ Finally, I havent seen anywhere in the zoning laws that suggests you are not able to launch/land in the areas outside a "kiting zone" - which is what is being purported in the first post of this thread. As pointed out by the other poster - if this is the case anyone launching further east than the house at 205 esplanade st - and defintiely not as far as McBain St - is in breach of said ruling (this is the majority of kiters on any given afternoon).

All of the above points suggest that the zoning process which occurred appears to have taken minimal feedback from kiters which are the ones going to be fined between $244.28 and $1221.40 (or 2 and 10 penalty units).

I don't see this as "Bringing the Local Kiters into the Fold", but more as working towards a reasonable solution. There are far more kiters on the beach on a windy evening (obviously - I mean who wants to have sand blown in their face from a squally 30kt night), along with the fact that Altona is one of the FEW beaches around the bay we are actually able to kite at.

Unfortunately, this is what was originally agreed when Kiting area was zoned in Altona many years back. It hasn't been enforced till now because they haven't had a reason to enforce it. Due to the selfish actions of a few who spoilt it for everyone, they will now be enforcing it.

The penalties were agreed in the council meeting ages ago, there may not be bylaws supporting them, but if we press the issue, they will simply create them so let's not go down this path, it'll just piss off a lot of people.

Are you allowed to rig up and pack down on the sand inside the Boating Zone?

If not, why not? Is that not an area where you can berth your boat/vessel on the beach?

Beersy said...

Are you allowed to rig up and pack down on the sand inside the Boating Zone?

If not, why not? Is that not an area where you can berth your boat/vessel on the beach?

My understading is Parks Vic regulate the water area. The council regulate the land area. If the council want to restrict kites from this water area they would need to persuade Parks Vic.

So the Council is reverting to impose restrictions on lauching and landing land areas to get kites out of this area.

just looking at the map i would say apex park is a nice alternative, no power lines , large open space, no cars or houses. unfortunately is outside of the kite zone.

Guys,

First off, we understand that everyone here is frustrated. We are frustrated too with this situation. However, just as a reminder, this has happened because:

1) There have been alleged altercations on the beach by Kiteboarders and other recreational users at Altona
2) When other recreational users complained, there was a hostile reaction by a small number of kiters here on seabreeze, and again on facebook. This reaction was monitored by key stakeholders at Hobsons Bay council.
3) Despite protests by the council, commercial lessons have continued at the beach without permits

That behaviour has not reflected kiteboarders in a good light. Hobsons Bay council naturally reviewed existing policy and decided to reinforce it. This would not have happened if we had played ball with our other beach users, as Saffer has rightly pointed out.

KBV has been contacted and asked to remind the community of existing policy, which we have done.

Does that mean we cannot go back to the council and start to lobby for an amended beach area? Of course not. KBV is starting to formulate a response as to how we should do this. But this is a seperate issue and will take time. We are on the back foot now, and need to handle the situation delicately.

Again - for any local kiters at Altona who are passionate about this issue. Please contact us at info@kbv.org.au and we are happy to bring you into the future conversations and KBV meetings we will be having on this as we seek to further engage the council.

We want to keep this beach open and safe, and agree rules that will work for kiters and the wider community at Altona.

Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to info@kbv.org.au
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria

I suspect that the council's primary interest is in avoiding harm to people and property. Secondarily they probably want to keep the peace between different interest groups.

If this is the case then there will be room for common sense around how the rules may be bent.

Clearly it's two very different scenarios if it's a warm day and the beach is covered in families compared to a southerly change coming through and the place is cold and deserted. In the first scenario, we have to keep well clear of other beach users whether or not we're launching and landing in the designated area. In the second scenario (deserted cold beach) I can't imagine they'll want to deploy resources to police the rules pedantically, and provided we're careful, we'll have a bit more leeway.

This is my hope, at least, and the only people who may stuff this up are selfish/stupid kiters or earnest citizens with nothing better to do than obsess over the letter, rather than the spirit, of the rules.

I agree with Derek and Saffer here there needs to be a softer approach to this issue. You have to inform the council that it is a safe and great way to stay fit. Also make them realise it is a very unique place in the bay for kiteboarding and is a major attraction for both kiteboarders and people who watch. We need to turn this discussion into something that is positive let the council and parks vic know what is needed on both sides. I have kited both from Romawi street (I used to live there) and at Apex park end and dont have a problem with coming in slow and dropping my kite just past the groin at Romawi. I tend to kite in places where there are minimal people like Werribee South as well. I love kiting at Altona I think there needs to be an education process for both Kiters and Council and Parks Vic. There is a great community down at Altona and I think next time you see someone doing something stupid or dangerous just dont shake your head take some responsibilty and clearly and calmly explain the situation people can be reasonable if you give them the information.

Peterdj said...

HappyG said...

I think there needs to be an education process for both Kiters and Council and Parks Vic. There is a great community down at Altona and I think next time you see someone doing something stupid or dangerous just dont shake your head take some responsibilty and clearly and calmly explain the situation people can be reasonable if you give them the information.

HappyG you are dead right there.
Im still not on the water yet so what i observe is from the land side. The council dont know what a great atraction they have in kiting at the beach, there really hasnt been a focused group ( club) to express their sensible views on safety etc and of course the good points.
I think KBV can only do so much untill it becomes more an issue for local people to get together and show the council what a great asset they have in the beach and of course the kiters ( the WIIFM ,what's in it for me mentality).
Untill then they really have no real reason to embrace the sport as they have with the fishing clubs for example. All they see is a problem waiting to happen , not an asset waiting to be embraced.

maybe it is time for a local kiters club

Peter,

It's extremely timely that you mention the idea of a local kiters club. This is something KBV have been discussing quite a bit over the last 9-12 months. We are particuarly keen to support local clubs if this is the way kiters want to go.

There are a number of hurdles with establishing local clubs including the admin/legal side, resourcing/administration, financials, etc. The two biggest challenges, however, are 1) getting enough people interested in joining and enough people interested in managing it and 2) getting the club to a place where it's sustainable (i.e. if a few people need to drop out on the management side - does it fall over).

KBV is willing to support anyone thinking of doing this. We can help you with understanding how big/small to start, establishing the club itself. We may even be willing to considers ways to 'share the load' whether that's our own people, financials, etc (if the model worked in the interest of the broader community). At the v least, we can offer some practical advice. We'd love to see a day where there was a Geelong club, St Kilda Club, Altona club etc...would be great for the sport, competition and keeping our beaches safe.

Interestingly - a number of parties have approached KBV this year about potentially tying up sailing clubs with KBV (or new kiting clubs). This is an interesting idea where Kiting would benefit from existing infrastructure held by the sailing clubs (boats, buoys etc), would encourage our new disciplines (e.g. course racing). Likewise, the sailing clubs would benefit from a growth of new, younger members in a discipline that's just come under ISAF. There are a number of drawbacks and challenges also but it's definitely an idea we are exploring further.

This is a massive topic, as you can see. KBV have been discussing this informally for a number of months, and working on the best way to discuss it with our members and the broader community. We are considering adding it as a discussion item for the next AGM. If we don't - we'll find another mechanism to have the conversation.

One minor thing we'd like to clarify though is that KBV works v hard on local issues (e.g. St Kilda, Altona etc). We actively advocate how much of a benefit (socially, economically etc) kiting can be to local communities and we have had great successes this year with those conversations. We try to make sure that the people engaged with local representatives have 'skin in the game' by being local kiters at that beach. We would certainly agree though that together KBV and local clubs could add an extra dimension when we lobby local bodies.

If any of you serious about establishing a local club - please do drop us a line. We have done some of the thinking on this already and can help. Alternatively, as per previous posts, please do join the KBV committee if you have time to spare. It would be great to have more people to work on some of this (e.g. partnerships with sailing clubs).

Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to info@kbv.org.au
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria

smc said...

kbv said...Interestingly - a number of parties have approached KBV this year about potentially tying up sailing clubs with KBV (or new kiting clubs). This is an interesting idea where Kiting would benefit from existing infrastructure held by the sailing clubs (boats, buoys etc), would encourage our new disciplines (e.g. course racing). Likewise, the sailing clubs would benefit from a growth of new, younger members in a discipline that's just come under ISAF. There are a number of drawbacks and challenges also but it's definitely an idea we are exploring further.

If there's interest in tying in with the Altona Yacht Club I have some good contacts and could discuss.

Thanks smc - will drop you a pm.

Thanks,
KBV
[Derek]
For queries, please send an email to info@kbv.org.au
For KBV information, please visit www.kbv.org.au
Facebook page, www.facebook.com/kiteboardingvictoria