MOBILITY was restored at Jimmys Beach in Hawks Nest by volunteers of the Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association (HNTGPA) on Thursday 15 January.
The hardy blue MobiMats, installed at The Anchorage carpark in September 2025, were an initiative spearheaded by the HNTGPA.
The initiative allows less mobile members of the local community and tourists to access the golden sands of Jimmys Beach.
The project was supported by fellow community groups including the Tea Gardens Lions Club, TGHN Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC), and partially funded by a federal grant backed by Lyne MP Alison Penfold.
“At our first meeting of 2026, the Progress Committee noted the need to fix up the mobility mats – the edges had been hit with inevitable rain and wind erosion since September, presenting a few tripping hazards,” HNTGPA Secretary Bruce Murray told News Of The Area.
The site for the mats was chosen for its relatively low exposure to erosion, a decision following the lessons learnt from the Bennetts Beach mobility mats, currently maintained by volunteers of the TGHN SLSC.
The mats are one of the more prominent recent achievements by the HNTGPA, with many more planned and in the pipeline for 2026.
HNTGPA President Sandra Bourke said, “Our goal is to make our twin towns as beautiful as they deserve to be.” Bourke hopes this will bring Council’s attention to the need for updating signage, “…some of which still says “Great Lakes Council”.”
HNTGPA president also hopes for an upgrade to public toilets and other amenities including “road conditions, among many, many more items.”
The Jimmys Beach mats consist of three sections, with two donated by the SLSC and a third jointly funded by the Lions Club, a federal grant, and the HNTGPA.
Together, they create a 30-metre traversable pathway from the carpark along The Anchorage to the sand.
Hawks Nest Tea Gardens Progress Association holds regular meetings on the second Tuesday of every second month.
The first for 2026 is slated for 9 February at the Hawks Nest Community Hall from 6:30pm.
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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