This time last year, up to 5000 cars a day were trying to park at Hyams Beach, in Jervis Bay. Then the Currowan bushfire came roaring up the coast.
... and its 12-car parking lot.
Now the village with "the world's whitest sand" needs its visitors back. The fire has had “a massive impact on foot traffic and people booking holidays in the village” Hyams Beach Store and Cafe co-owner Phoebe Alison said. "Before this weekend we were at around 20 per cent of our normal January takings."Crowds returned for the Australia Day long weekend but were still down on last year.
Morgan Sant, a former president of the Hyams Beach Villagers Association, said visitors willing to spend locally was exactly what the village needed - to recover from the fires and to address the infrastructure problem.
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