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Free Parking at Maroubra Beach Could End as Paid Parking Proposal Emerges

Free car parking at Maroubra and other eastern beaches is under threat following a proposal to introduce paid visitor parking across seven of Sydney’s most popular eastern beaches, with community feedback open until 5pm on 15 April 2026.

While Maroubra currently stands as Sydney’s best-value beach destination, offering three free car parks including one at Mahon Pool, that advantage may not last. A formal proposal to charge visitors for beach parking across the Randwick area has sparked a public debate about who should fund the $23.5 million annual cost of maintaining the beaches that millions of Sydneysiders enjoy each summer.

Maroubra: Sydney’s Free Parking Champion

Maroubra currently offers the best beach parking deal in Sydney’s eastern suburbs by a wide margin. Three free car parks serve the beach and its surrounds. These sit adjacent to the main beach at Jack Vanny Reserve on the northern headland near Mahon Pool and at South Maroubra Beach. Free street parking also remains available along Maroubra Parade with a four hour limit while surrounding side streets carry no time restrictions.

Maroubra Parade offers free parking with a four-hour limit, side streets are free with no time limit, and free public car parks sit next to the main beach, at Jack Vanny Reserve slightly further north, and at South Maroubra Beach. That combination makes Maroubra the easiest beach in the eastern suburbs to visit by car without opening a wallet.

The beach itself adds to the value. Maroubra is an official National Surfing Reserve with a spectacular one-kilometre stretch of sand wrapped by rocky headland, natural bushland and expansive green parks with barbecue facilities, a shaded kids’ playground, a skate park and a free outdoor gym. At the southern end, the Eastern Beaches Coastal Walkway connects through Malabar Headland National Park to Malabar Beach.

Other Free Options in the Randwick Area

Maroubra is not the only free option for eastern suburbs beachgoers. Clovelly Beach has one free car park that also services Gordon’s Bay, though it fills quickly on warm days. Malabar, Little Bay and La Perouse all currently offer free parking. Meanwhile, Coogee Beach Parking and Coogee Parking Oval charge $5.50 per hour, though free parking is available along Arden Street and surrounding streets.

Clovelly Beach currently offers free parking as well. — Clovelly Beach. *Photo Credit: Google Maps*

Further afield, Tamarama, Brighton-Le-Sands, Ramsgate, Kurnell and North Cronulla Beach all offer free parking, as does the area surrounding Cronulla more broadly.

The Northern Beaches Premium

The second most expensive beach parking in Sydney sits across the Northern Beaches, where $10 per hour applies at Manly, Freshwater, Curl Curl, North Curl Curl, Dee Why, Collaroy, Narrabeen, Mona Vale, Newport, Avalon and Palm Beach. At Balmoral Beach in Mosman, the rate sits at $8 per hour along the foreshore.

The rationale across all paid parking zones is consistent: high visitor demand, limited spaces, and the cost of maintaining foreshore infrastructure. At Coogee, 1,781 parking spaces record an average 88 per cent occupancy on summer weekends, with approximately 4,700 vehicles per day staying for an average of 203 minutes each.

Why Maroubra’s Free Parking May Not Last

Randwick City’s free beach parking could soon be history at seven popular spots including Maroubra, Clovelly, Malabar, Little Bay, La Perouse and Yarra Bay, with a community consultation period running from 4 March 2026 as part of a proposal to introduce paid visitor parking. Under the proposal, local residents would be exempt through a free annual permit system, but visitors would pay. Rates have not yet been set, though comparable Sydney beaches currently charge between $7 and $11 per hour. If approved, paid parking could be introduced in late 2026 or into 2027.

The rationale behind the proposal is financial. Maintaining Randwick’s beaches costs approximately $23.5 million per year, covering lifeguard services, beach cleaning, rubbish collection, coastal walkways, toilet facilities and surf club support. Up to 84 per cent of beach visitors in summer come from outside the Randwick area, yet local ratepayers currently fund the entire cost.

Why This Matters for Maroubra Residents

For Maroubra residents, free beach parking is both a practical daily convenience and a point of genuine local pride. The suburb’s parking advantage over neighbouring Coogee and Bondi attracts beachgoers from across the city, supporting local cafes, restaurants and businesses along Marine Parade and McKeon Street. If paid parking is introduced following the consultation, the resident permit exemption means locals would retain free access — but the broader accessibility that has made Maroubra a popular destination for Sydney families on a budget would change.

The community consultation on the paid parking proposal closes at 5pm on 15 April 2026. Residents can complete the survey online or return the paper survey mailed to every household. Drop-in sessions for questions are available at Coogee Beach Promenade on Saturday 21 March and McKeon Street Plaza, Maroubra Beach on Saturday 28 March, both from 10am to 12pm. Enquiries can be directed to 1300 722 542.

Published 9-March-2026.

Malabar Memorial Hall to Reveal Heritage Brickwork in Major Upgrade

Photo Credit: RandwickCityCouncil

The hidden architectural history of Malabar will be brought back to the surface as preparations are being made to strip away 1970s additions to reveal the original mid-century soul of the local memorial hall.

A New Chapter for a Local Landmark

memorial hall — *Photo Credit:* *RandwickCityCouncil*

The planned works focus on stripping away a 1970s ramp and foyer that currently hide the building’s 1950s heritage. By removing these older parts, the project aims to show off the original brickwork while making the space much easier for everyone to use.

This project was approved by Randwick Councillors in late 2022 after a month of talking with local residents to ensure the design matched what the community needed. Construction is currently scheduled to begin during the 2024/25 financial year.

Improving Access and Comfort

A major part of the project involves fixing problems with how people get into the buildings. The current ramp does not meet modern building standards, so it will be replaced by a brand-new lift and a modern staircase. These changes will connect the Malabar Memorial Hall and the Malabar Community Library more effectively.

Inside the hall, visitors can expect better lighting and ventilation systems to keep the rooms comfortable during the hot summer months and cooler winters. The hall has been a central spot for parties and classes since it first started serving the public in 1957, and these updates are meant to keep it useful for many more years.

Better Facilities for Library and Hall Users

The library will receive a significant upgrade with the addition of its own unisex toilet, which means visitors will no longer have to walk across the road to find a public restroom.

The hall itself is being extended closer to the street to make room for a new kitchen and a better area for serving food. This extension also includes an outdoor terrace where people can gather. All existing bathrooms within the hall will be refreshed, and a new accessible toilet will be added to make sure the venue is welcoming for people of all abilities.

Published Date 06-March-2026

Sydney Water Ordered to Remove Malabar Fatberg Linked to Debris Balls on Eastern Beaches

Sydney Water/Instagram

Sydney Water faces a formal pollution reduction order requiring it to remove a massive build-up of fats, oils and grease from its Malabar wastewater treatment plant, after investigations confirmed the accumulation as the most likely source of the debris balls that closed Sydney’s eastern beaches repeatedly from October 2024 to February 2025.

The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority issued the order on 23 February 2026, following months of investigation that traced the greasy black spheres washing up on beaches from Coogee to the state’s south coast to a deep, largely inaccessible chamber inside the Malabar deep ocean outfall. The outfall extends 2.3 kilometres offshore and handles wastewater from a catchment covering much of Sydney’s inner-east and western suburbs.

For residents of Maroubra, Coogee and Malabar, who watched clean-up crews comb their beaches through the summer of 2024–25, the EPA’s order represents its most significant regulatory escalation so far in response to a crisis that disrupted one of the eastern suburbs’ most-used coastlines, after the agency issued a Preliminary Investigation Notice in April 2025.

What the Fatberg Is and How It Formed

Investigators including Professor Stuart Khan, a wastewater engineer from the University of Sydney and chair of the EPA’s advisory panel, traced the source of the debris to decades of accumulated fats, oils and grease adhering to the inner walls of pipes feeding into the Malabar system. When heavy rainfall events strike, those accumulated deposits dislodge and flush through the outfall tunnel into the ocean, where wave action rolls them into the black balls that beachgoers encountered on the sand.

Syndey Water — *Photo Credit: Sydney Water*

A Sydney Water assessment report from August 2025 identified the build-up as concentrated in a 300-cubic-metre chamber behind the bulkhead door of the deep ocean outfall, a dead zone beyond the accessible stopboards that workers cannot safely enter. Sydney Water estimates the fatberg could be the size of four Sydney buses, though the organisation cannot measure it precisely because of the access constraints.

Two specific events accelerated the release of debris balls into the ocean. A loss of power at the plant in October 2024 stopped the raw sewage pumps for four minutes, and the rapid pressure surge when power returned dislodged a portion of the accumulated fatberg. A similar pressure spike driven by heavy wet weather in January 2025 produced the same result.

Why Fixing It Is Not Simple

The engineering challenge at the heart of the Malabar problem is significant. The bulkhead door that provides the only access point to the outfall chamber sits underwater and can only be opened at low tide and during low system flows, making safe entry to the inaccessible area beyond the stopboards impossible under current conditions.

Taking the plant fully offline to access the chamber would require diverting sewage to cliff face discharge, a method that would close Sydney’s beaches for months. Sydney Water’s own August 2025 report acknowledged this approach had never been used and was no longer considered acceptable. That acknowledgement confirmed that the chamber was not designed with regular maintenance in mind when engineers built it in the 1980s.

Debris balls found — *Photo Credit: Sydney Water*

Sydney Water already conducts regular cleaning of the accessible sections of the outfall, itself described in the report as an extremely risky operation. In April 2025, workers removed 53 tonnes of accumulated fats, oils, grease and debris balls from those accessible areas.

What the EPA’s Order Requires

The pollution reduction order covers both immediate and longer-term actions. Sydney Water must remove the build-up of fats, oils and grease from the hard-to-access bulkhead area, develop a system to capture debris overflowing from the sewer during severe wet weather events, and conduct a study into the formation and weathering of debris balls to improve tracking capability. The order also requires Sydney Water to consider artificial intelligence or other technology to monitor for the formation of future debris balls before they reach the ocean.

Planned upgrades to the Malabar system are part of a 10-year, $3 billion investment program.Sydney Water is also advancing recycled water initiatives to reduce the total volume of sewage discharged into the ocean.

That longer-term programme reflects a wider recognition that the debris ball crisis is not solely a maintenance problem at one facility. Khan noted that Sydney’s growing population and rising number of food outlets operating without proper grease traps have intensified the problem over time, allowing more fats to enter the wastewater system and form blockages at greater scale than previous decades.

Sydney Water’s Response and Community Impact

Sydney Water confirmed it would implement the EPA’s required measures in close collaboration with the watchdog, and said it was working with the independent Wastewater Expert Panel, local authorities, agencies and the community throughout the process.

That collaboration follows a period of public controversy over Sydney Water’s handling of the crisis. The utility initially insisted in November 2024 that the debris balls did not form from its wastewater discharges. Subsequent reporting established that claim was incorrect, and Sydney Water’s managing director later acknowledged publicly that the evidence pointed to the ocean outfall as the most likely source.

Community concern in Maroubra, Coogee and the surrounding suburbs remains high. The beaches most affected sit within walking distance of the Malabar outfall, and residents recall multiple closures through a period that should have been peak summer swimming season. The EPA’s order is the most direct regulatory action taken to date to prevent a repeat of those events.

Full details of the pollution reduction order and Sydney Water’s compliance program are available through the NSW EPA at epa.nsw.gov.au. Sydney Water’s own account of the debris ball investigation and planned works is available here.

Published 2-March-2026.

Violence Erupts Outside Maroubra McDonald’s as Bystanders Look On

Photo Credit: Google Maps

A disturbing brawl involving several teenage girls unfolded outside the McDonald’s on Anzac Parade in Maroubra on Saturday evening, leaving witnesses shaken and prompting fresh concerns about youth violence in the area.

Police from Eastern Beaches Police Area Command were called to the fast food restaurant at approximately 5.45pm on 14 February following reports of a fight. Footage filmed by a passing motorist captured the confrontation, which showed two girls allegedly attacking another girl on the footpath before dragging her onto the busy road.

The video depicts one alleged attacker repeatedly striking the victim, including pulling her hair and kicking her whilst she lay on the pavement near the intersection. A second girl, believed to be attempting to help the victim, was then set upon by one of the alleged attackers.

The witness who recorded the incident told news.com.au they were simply driving to work when the fight broke out. The footage shows dozens of pedestrians walking past, with only one woman appearing to call for assistance whilst others watched from a distance.

Police attended the scene and spoke with four females aged 12, 17, 18 and 21. The three younger females were released pending further enquiries, whilst the 18-year-old woman was taken to Maroubra Police Station where she was charged with affray. She was granted conditional bail to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on 6 March 2026, according to IBTimes UK.

The incident has sparked debate on social media, with many questioning why bystanders did not intervene to stop the violence.

Domestic violence advocate and author Ashlee Donohue has expressed alarm about what she describes as increasing youth violence in Maroubra. Ms Donohue is CEO of Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Women’s Centre and has presented at United Nations forums on violence prevention.

Ms Donohue referenced a separate incident on Maroubra Bridge on 31 January, where a 14-year-old girl suffered serious injuries, including a collapsed lung, following an alleged assault by a group of girls. She believes social media is playing a role in fuelling these attacks, with perpetrators filming the violence to gain attention online.

“They are doing this to post it online to get likes and views,” Ms Donohue told the Daily Mail. She has called for changes to legislation that would hold those who film or encourage violence equally accountable as those who carry out the assaults.

Ms Donohue said the 14-year-old victim from the January incident had been lured to a location by a schoolmate under the pretence of hanging out at the beach, only to be set upon by several girls whilst approximately 15 others watched and encouraged the violence.

“This assault was brutal and planned,” she said. She noted that police have laid charges against several teens in relation to that incident, but has made a public appeal to meet with the parents of those involved.

The latest violence has rattled some Maroubra residents who remember when the suburb was synonymous with the Bra Boys surf gang in the 1990s. That group became notorious for territorial disputes and violent confrontations, gaining national attention through their 2007 documentary narrated by Russell Crowe.

Whilst Saturday’s incident resulted in charges, the broader question of how to address youth violence and the role of social media in amplifying these confrontations remains a concern for the local community.

Anyone with information about the Anzac Parade incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Published 16-February-2026

Probus in Maroubra: Staying Connected After Full-Time Work

Photo Credit: Probus South Pacific

For many people, retirement doesn’t signal a desire to slow down so much as a shift in how time is spent. Long-established community groups such as Probus exist for that in-between space — where people are no longer working full time but still value conversation, activity and shared interests.

Probus is an international, not-for-profit association that brings together retired and semi-retired people through locally run clubs. The name comes from PROfessional and BUSiness, reflecting its origins among people who had spent much of their lives in structured working environments. Over time, however, Probus has evolved well beyond those beginnings and today welcomes anyone no longer in full-time work who is interested in staying socially, mentally and physically active.

Where Probus fits in the wider community

Probus clubs are sponsored by Rotary, a relationship that dates back to Probus’s beginnings in the 1960s. While Rotary provides the initial sponsorship and ongoing support, each Probus club operates independently, managing its own activities and membership.

Across Australia, there are around 1,400 Probus clubs, all operating as non-political, non-sectarian social clubs. Probus does not engage in fundraising and exists solely to support connection, learning and companionship in retirement.

Membership fees are deliberately kept modest, consisting of a once-off joining fee and an annual fee which covers administration, insurance and venue costs. Details are provided by the Club to would-be members during the interest meeting.

Upcoming meeting in March

For those curious about whether Probus might be a good fit, an interest meeting for the newly formed Maroubra Junction Probus Club will be held in March.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday 10 March, at Juniors Maroubra, 946 Anzac Parade (corner of Haig Street), with arrival from 9.45am for a 10.00am start. Attendees are invited to meet current members, learn how the club operates and enjoy a free morning tea.

The meeting is open to anyone who is retired or semi-retired, whether or not they have previously been involved with Probus. People who are unable to attend on the day can still register their interest and be kept informed about future meetings.

If you’re not based in Maroubra, Probus also offers a “Find a Club” tool through its national network to help people locate nearby clubs in other suburbs.

Finding out more

For information about the March interest meeting or Probus more broadly, enquiries can also be directed to Ethan Haber on 1300 630 488, or via the Probus South Pacific website.

For many members, Probus isn’t about replacing work — it’s about staying engaged with people and ideas after work ends. And for those looking to share the article with a friend or family member approaching retirement, it offers a simple answer to a common question: what comes next?

Published 10-Feb-2026

Maroubra Beach Drowning: International Student Named After Search Effort

Photo Credit: Pexels

A swimmer who entered the water at Maroubra Beach in Sydney’s east did not return to shore and was later found after a multi-day search.

What Happened At Maroubra Beach

Fangqi Peng, 30, was at Maroubra Beach on Sunday afternoon with three friends who were collecting sea snails along the shoreline.

He entered the water alone to try a newly purchased diving mask, telling the group he would return shortly. The others continued searching along the rocks and shoreline, but their view was partially blocked and they did not see him return.

Maroubra Beach drowning — *Photo Credit: Pexels*

Alarm Raised And Search Begins

When the group prepared to leave, they realised Peng had not come back. Emergency services were alerted about 4 p.m. on Sunday, 1 February, after lifesavers also noticed a swimmer enter the water and not return to shore.

The beach was cleared as a precaution while the search commenced, with helicopters and watercraft deployed during the response.

Search Conditions And Recovery

Search crews continued efforts over the following days, with sea conditions affecting operations at times. Police later confirmed a man’s body was located at about 12:20 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 February.

Formal identification processes were still to be completed at the time of reporting, but police said the body was believed to be the missing swimmer. A report will be prepared for the coroner.

Sydney beach incident — *Photo Credit: Wikipedia*

Background On The Swimmer

Peng had moved to Australia from Harbin in north-eastern China more than two years ago. He was studying at university and working part-time in construction.

Friends said he regularly visited Maroubra Beach to collect sea snails and was confident in the water.

Friends’ Reaction

Friends described Peng as cheerful, easygoing and kind, and said his death had been difficult to accept because it occurred suddenly.

Published 5-Feb-2026

Search Suspended for Missing Swimmer at Maroubra Beach

Photo Credit: Randwick City Council

Emergency services have suspended their search for a man in his 30s who disappeared while swimming at the southern end of Maroubra Beach on Sunday afternoon.

The man entered the water around 4pm but failed to return to shore, prompting lifesavers who witnessed him going into the surf to raise the alarm when he did not resurface.

A major multi-agency response swung into action, with multiple helicopter crews scanning the area from above whilst jet skis and water police conducted searches from the water. The entire beach was evacuated following a shark alarm as emergency crews flooded the coastline.

According to NSW Police, the man was with friends at the time of the incident. Officers from the Eastern Beaches Police Area Command coordinated the response alongside Marine Area Command, Surf Life Saving NSW, and aerial support from the LifeSaver21 helicopter.

However, worsening weather conditions and fading light forced authorities to make the difficult decision to suspend the search around 6pm on Sunday evening. Deteriorating visibility as a storm system moved through the area meant helicopter crews had to be grounded, with conditions deemed too dangerous to continue operations safely.

The search resumed at 8am on Tuesday morning, with similar resources deployed despite challenging sea conditions continuing to hamper efforts.

The incident marks another tragedy for the local beach community during what has been a particularly dangerous summer period for Sydney’s coastline. Earlier in the New Year period, multiple drownings and rescues occurred across Sydney’s eastern beaches, prompting authorities to issue repeated warnings about dangerous surf conditions.

Anyone with information about Sunday’s incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit nsw.crimestoppers.com.au.

Published 1-February-2026

Maroubra Beach Briefly Closed After Shark Sighting During Australia Day Weekend

Photo Credit: Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club Surf Cam

Maroubra Beach was temporarily closed on Sunday afternoon after a member of the public reported seeing a shark in the water, adding to a string of closures across Sydney beaches during the Australia Day long weekend.

The alarm was raised just after midday on Sunday, with swimmers evacuated from the water as a precautionary measure. The beach was quickly reopened around 12.25pm after drone surveillance and patrol found no sharks in the area, according to Surf Life Saving NSW.

Local beachgoer Olea Chu described hearing the horn blast at noon, followed by an announcement urging everyone to exit the water. Around 20 minutes later, a second horn sounded to alert the public that the shark had gone.

“It was a bit of a surprise because it’s our first time at the beach,” Ms Chu said. Despite the brief scare, she said she still felt safe thanks to the lifeguards on duty.

The closure came during a busy weekend for Sydney’s coastal lifesavers, who managed multiple beach evacuations across the metropolitan area following several shark sightings. The precautionary measures were implemented after four shark attacks occurred in less than 48 hours earlier in the week.

On Monday, Australia Day celebrations were disrupted along the NSW coast with closures at multiple popular beaches including Manly Beach, which was shut twice following fresh shark sightings, and Palm Beach, which also saw a brief closure.

Further north on the Central Coast, Terrigal Beach closed and reopened twice over the long weekend after separate shark sightings on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

As of Thursday morning, Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches remained closed following another shark sighting, with beachgoers urged to follow lifeguard instructions and stay out of the water while monitoring continues.

Surf Life Saving NSW has encouraged beachgoers to follow lifeguard instructions and remain out of the water at closed beaches, as patrols and monitoring continue.

Published 29-January-2026

Malabar Network Overhaul Follows Debris Ball Incidents at Maroubra

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

A large-scale wastewater upgrade program has been outlined following debris balls washing ashore near Maroubra, with investigations linking the material to the Malabar treatment system.

Debris Balls And Beach Closures

From late 2024 through early 2025, black, grease-like debris balls were reported along several NSW coastlines, including beaches near Maroubra. The incidents raised water quality concerns and resulted in temporary beach closures while clean-up and testing were carried out.

Laboratory testing later confirmed the debris was most likely connected to the Malabar wastewater treatment system, which discharges treated wastewater via a deep ocean outfall.

*Photo Credit: RandwickCityCouncil/Facebook*

What Investigations Revealed

Analysis of collected samples found the debris was largely made up of fats, oils and grease, alongside smaller amounts of petroleum-based material and other waste products such as hair and fibres.

The findings pointed to pressure within the wastewater network, particularly during periods of high load, as a contributing factor to the formation of the debris balls.

Scope Of The Upgrade Program

A $3 billion upgrade program is planned over 10 years, focusing on reducing the volume of wastewater requiring treatment and discharge through the Malabar outfall.

The Malabar system is one of the largest wastewater networks in Australia, servicing close to two million residents across Sydney’s south-west, including Fairfield, Campbelltown and Liverpool.

Facilities Prioritised First

Initial works will concentrate on the Glenfield and Liverpool water resource recovery facilities, with refurbishments and expanded processing capacity planned.

A new secondary treatment process at Liverpool forms part of the first stage, with further upgrades across the wider network scheduled progressively.

Operational Measures Alongside Construction

In addition to infrastructure works, the response includes increased inspection and cleaning of ocean outfall screens, strengthened trade-waste controls, and expanded education efforts targeting fats, oils and grease entering the system.

These measures are intended to reduce the risk of similar debris reaching beaches near Maroubra while longer-term upgrades are completed.

What Comes Next

Ongoing coordination between Sydney Water, the NSW Environment Protection Authority and an independent wastewater expert panel is expected to continue throughout the rollout period.

Information released alongside the program indicates impacts are expected to be limited, with any disruption largely confined to construction noise and vehicle movements near treatment facilities.

Published 19-Jan-2026

Maroubra Records Equal Highest Drowning Toll in Sydney

Photo Credit: Google Maps

Maroubra has emerged as one of Sydney’s most high-risk surf beaches, with long-term data showing it records the equal highest number of fatal drownings among sandy beaches in the city.

A Two-Decade Pattern At One Beach

Data spanning more than 20 years shows Maroubra Beach recorded 10 fatal drownings between July 2002 and early January 2026. This is the highest number recorded at any Sydney sandy beach during that period, shared with Bondi Beach.

Across Sydney, 79 confirmed drowning deaths were recorded at sandy beaches over the same timeframe. These figures do not include incidents involving rock platforms, ocean pools or boating activities.

Sydney beaches — *Photo Credit: Google Maps*

National Figures Put Local Risk In Context

The National Drowning Report 2025, produced by Royal Life Saving Australia in partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia, recorded 357 drowning deaths nationwide over the past 12 months.

This figure sits 27 per cent above the 10-year average. The report found 43 per cent of drowning deaths occurred in coastal locations, including 82 deaths at beaches.

Who Faces The Greatest Risk

While children aged five to 14 recorded the lowest drowning rates, risk increased sharply among people aged 15 to 24. Drowning rates were above the long-term average for every age group over 45.

One-third of all drowning deaths involved adults aged 65 and over, with the highest rates recorded among those aged 75 and older.

Maroubra drowning risk — *Photo Credit: Google Maps*

Behaviour Changes And Coastal Exposure

Experts attribute part of the recent increase in drowning deaths to changes in coastal behaviour following pandemic disruptions. These include missed swimming lessons, increased boating activity and greater exposure to uncontrolled or remote coastal locations.

Public awareness of beach hazards does not always translate into safer decision-making, particularly in exposed surf environments.

How Maroubra Compares Across Sydney

Mapping of drowning deaths across Sydney’s surf beaches over more than two decades shows Maroubra consistently ranks among the locations with the highest number of fatal incidents at sandy beaches.

This places Maroubra as a clear example of broader coastal safety risks identified at both city and national levels.

Outlook

Long-term data shows Maroubra remains one of Sydney’s most consistently high-risk surf beaches. National figures indicate coastal environments continue to account for a significant share of drowning deaths, reinforcing the ongoing importance of beach safety awareness.

Published 13-Jan-2026