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Is fencing at Jump Rock adding to the Danger of Jumping?

12/3/2015

14 Comments

 
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There's water everywhere in Manly. People can't resist being in it or on it - or jumping into it from a rock. 

One rock in particular is a problem. It's known as Jump Rock, not far from Collins Beach. It's a magnet for kids of all ages on the weekends, and while most people jump and land successfully, there have been two deaths and at least two serious injuries over the past 15 years.



In 2007 Manly Council tried to discourage jumpers by building a metal fence to block access to the rock overhang. 

But it hasn't worked in quite the way it was meant. The fence is easy to climb around, and probably makes the rock more dangerous as it drastically limits space on the rock edge. Even worse, the top of the  fence top - a slippery metal rail - is used as a high-risk diving board by people who find the natural 5m drop too tame. 

A different set of problems apply to a lower (3m drop) rock overhang, a few metres below and to the side of Jump Rock.  This one really is completely fenced off, meaning that people no longer have the choice of a high or a low jump. If they're going to do it, it has to be the 5m full monty.

There are also reports of people being injured jumping from an alternate rock overhang about 25m closer to the beach, where they would land in shallower water than the original jump rock site. The Manly Daily reported a teenager injured jumping from this overhang in January last year.

When we raised the Jump Rock issue on the Good For Manly Facebook page the response was massive. The post was seen by 2,400 people in the first 24 hours.  Comments were that the jump was really pretty safe although the fence made things more risky. Some people thought the Council did need to take some safety measures, but no one supported the fence in its current state. 

In 2009 the Council considered, but did not pursue,  alternatives to the current fencing arrangement, including making the fence harder to get around or harder to use as a high-dive board. It also considered demolishing the rock platform entirely but decided that was inappropriate.  

As well, the Council surveyed residents in nearby Stuart St. Only twelve surveys were returned, and the reported results are inconclusive. Three people said the situation was worse. Three said it was better, and two said the fence made no difference.  However, there seemed to be support for some form of fencing, with some residents saying there was now much less night jumping, so quieter nights and less vandalism, litter and bad behaviour overall. Some residents were worried about people getting hurt when jumping from the top of the fence. 

Good For Manly councillor Candy Bingham raised the issue at the March council meeting and the matter is to be reviewed. She queried whether the current fencing in fact made the site more dangerous as kids where using the fence the jump and dive from.

Up to 2009 Manly Council had spent $26,000 on the fence.

Have you jumped from the Rock?  Do you think the fences should be removed?


Is the fencing at Jump Rock just making the area more dangerous? Watch this Channel 7 news report and you be the judge.
14 Comments
Chris A
8/4/2015 12:31:41 am

1st time I jumped off that rock was in the early 80's. Kids love it and will do it no matter what. The fence actually makes it more dangerous as it doesnt work.

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Wendy
8/4/2015 12:56:20 am

Kids come from all over Sydney to do this, fun cheap day. The fence has made it very dangerous, they will try to do it regardless, as kids have done for years. Anywhere that there is a place to jump into water, kids will try it. council are no doubt worried about being sued...

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Lynette Brigden
8/4/2015 08:23:14 am

I believe the fence was put up to stop people jumping off. But this has not worked and as everyone has said, it has made it far more dangerous, so it would be a smart thing to remove the fence. I am not sure what the alternative would be but the fence is not the answer. People will Jump off this rock no matter what the council will do.

Reply
Elizabeth
9/4/2015 02:36:12 am

I think the fence makes the jump more dangerous

Reply
Chris A
9/4/2015 03:28:58 am

So many people climb to the top of the fence so they can jump from an extra 2 metres higher.

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Peter Yates
10/4/2015 04:33:38 am

The fence should be removed. Besides being an eyesore, from both the water and land sides, it does not stop people (mainly youngsters) from jumping. And it simply increases the danger for those daredevils whom climb the fence and jump from the top.

Personally, I think that the fence should be replaced by a number of prominently located signs adjacent to the access paths tracks, advising of the danger and making clear that Council will not accept responsibility for any deaths or injuries.

Rather than wasting $26,000 on the useless fence, I would much rather have seen Council spend the money on much-needed toilet facilities at currently toilet-less Little Manly Point.

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mia
28/2/2020 12:59:28 pm

hello 5 years later

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Kel
7/2/2024 09:38:53 am

Hello 9 years later

Virginia Macleod
10/4/2015 04:39:57 am

I have lived in the street for 30 years. All our family have jumped from Jump Rock.
3 and 5 m are diving board height, so not excessively high.
Teenagers want to take risks, It's a rite of passage
There have been a few accidents, but think how many there are in the surf and we don't fence that off, or say that teenagers shouldn't be allowed to surf.
No-one suggests stopping litter at the ocean beach by restricting access!
The fence is dangerous, slippery and ugly and has not stopped jumping. Remove the fence, accept that this is reasonable risk taking spot.

Night yahooing goes on regularly in this area and isn't especially connected with Jump Rock, or just teenagers.


Reply
Tim Barnard
16/5/2017 09:11:04 pm

THANK YOU

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Tim Barnard
16/5/2017 09:19:14 pm

Why take the fun out of life just because it's too dangerous. If you want to get rid of Jump Rock, which has attracted many people from all around Sydney providing economic support to business around Manly, consider this. There have been 37 death by VENDING MACHINES since 1995, 1209 fatalities in cars in AUSTRALIA and 3536 Drownings occur every year, so should we says that people should drive or go in the water at all? AND BY THE WAY, THE TWO DEATHS THAT OCCURRED WERE DUE TO A DRUNK PERSON THAT JUMPED AT 3AM IN THE MORNING AND DROWNED AND AN OLD GUY THAT HAD AN HEART ATTACK WHILE JUMPING.

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Ryan
11/11/2019 05:53:24 pm

SPOT ON m8

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Ryan
11/11/2019 05:52:43 pm

STUPID COUNCIL - yet again the response from a bunch of boomers in council completely misses the point. Considered demolishing the rock ledge? Really? Fences? Seriously?

You are NOT going to stop people jumping from ledges into the water, our WHOLE HARBOUR is full of rocks, cliffs, ledges and, believe it or not, WATER. You lock the door they'll go through the window - you can't stop people jumping.

BUT what you can do, is inform people of the danger. Make people check the water level, jump clearance, and consider all the dangers before jumping. What about warnings about how people have died and been hospitalised. ASk the familes of the dead kids do they mind a photo and story of the guys being put up there. A photo of a teenager that say "John Doe jumped here, and died" is much more powerful than a poorly thoght out fence.

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Chris
5/1/2020 07:31:01 pm

The fence is the worst idea ever. This is one of the safest cliff jumps in the world. Remove the fence entirely, it makes the jump infinitely more dangerous and is itself the main danger.

Making it a more effective fence also won't work. I remember when they installed the first fence and someone came up with an angle grinder and cut it off, then pushed it into the sea. Then we had people jumping off the rock and trying to avoid the massive wrecked fence with giant metal spikes in the water.

Just remove the fence you giant council douchebags. Stop pandering to the 0.1% of people who complain about stuff like this and pay attention to the silent majority, many of whom have been jumping off that rock since we were kids.

Reply



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    Candy Bingham, Manly Ward Councillor on Northern Beaches Council posts what's making news and issues relevant to Manly on this blog. 

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