This is why we can’t have nice things: Council shuts down NYE at Balls Head in Waverton.

By ANNA USHER

The party is over for lower north shore revellers who’ve used Balls Head Point as a “secret” fireworks vantage point on New Year’s Eve.

North Sydney Council has officially banned locals from using the picturesque reserve on December 31 after a damning report card highlighted extensive damage to vegetation caused by large crowds in 2023.

Bushland Management Co-ordinator Gareth Debney said parts of the 10ha site were trampled and tree branches “routinely snapped off” as party-goers tried to secure a better view of Sydney Harbour.

“As an unmanaged venue, Council has not provided supervision of NYE crowds entering the reserve, and there has been no enforcement of alcohol restrictions, limitations on crowd numbers, and no emergency evacuation planning,” Mr Debney said.

“Consequently, bushland areas surrounding the popular harbour-facing vantage points suffered annual damage from overcrowding and trampling.

“Trees and shrubs that obscured views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the city were routinely snapped off or ripped out of the ground.”

He said saplings were also crushed under picnic blankets – and many placed themselves at risk by sitting along cliff edges and steep drop-offs.

At a North Sydney Council meeting on Monday night, councillors voted to close the reserve on NYE, endorsing a Bushland Plan of Management recommendation made in 2022.

In response to the decision, Mayor Zoe Baker said plants and vegetation do not have adequate time to recover and regenerate before the end-of-the-year festivities.

“There are also serious concerns about public safety in the unlit reserve as well as impacts on an important exposed midden with significant original Aboriginal cultural heritage,” she said.