About Us

A community working to protect one of Port Macquarie's most valued natural places

Protect Oxley Beach Port Macquarie is a community-led, volunteer organisation committed to preserving the natural, cultural and environmental values of Oxley Beach for current and future generations.

We believe our community deserves high-quality public recreation facilities, including an ocean pool if the right location can be found. Our campaign is not against an ocean pool. Rather, it is focused on ensuring that any significant public investment is located where it can be delivered responsibly, sustainably and in the long-term interests of the entire Port Macquarie-Hastings community.

Following extensive research into the proposed Ocean Pool at Oxley Beach Port Macquarie, we believe this site presents significant environmental, cultural, financial and planning challenges that have not been adequately addressed.

Why we are concerned

Our concerns relate to the suitability of the location, not the concept of an ocean pool.

Based on publicly available planning documents, Council reports, technical studies, legislation and community consultation, we believe the proposal raises significant questions regarding:

• genuine and ongoing Traditional Owner support and unresolved Aboriginal land interests

• development within C2 Environmental Conservation land

• impacts on threatened species, biodiversity and coastal ecology

• coastal hazard and climate resilience

• long-term construction, maintenance and renewal costs

• the lack of strategic planning justification and site-specific merit

• accessibility for people of all ages and abilities

• parking capacity, traffic management and pedestrian safety

• the extent of engineering required to construct and maintain the facility

• impacts on the existing recreational, cultural and community uses of Oxley Beach Port Macquarie

• the permanent loss of one of the few remaining natural beaches within the Port Macquarie town centre.

We believe these matters deserve careful, transparent and evidence-based consideration before irreversible changes are made to an environmentally and culturally significant section of the coastline.

A growing community movement

Protect Oxley Beach began in late February 2026 when a small group of local residents came together to better understand the proposed planning changes affecting Oxley Beach.

Since then, the campaign has grown rapidly into a diverse community movement representing people from across the Port Macquarie-Hastings local government area.

Our supporters include:

• local residents and ratepayers

• families with young children

• older members of the community

• people living with disability

• carers

• environmental and conservation advocates

• surfers, swimmers, fishers and recreational users

• Birpai Traditional Owners and Aboriginal community members

• professionals with expertise in planning, engineering, environmental science, geology, ecology, heritage, law and governance.

Our members bring a wide range of perspectives, experiences and skills, united by a shared commitment to ensuring the best outcome for both our community and Oxley Beach.

Independent, community funded and non-political

Protect Oxley Beach Port Macquarie is an entirely volunteer-run community organisation.

We receive no government funding, political funding or corporate sponsorship. Our work is supported through the generous contributions of local community members who donate their time, skills and, where possible, small financial contributions to assist with research, community engagement and advocacy.

We are politically independent and non-partisan. Our supporters include people from across the political spectrum who share a common interest in protecting Oxley Beach and promoting good planning, responsible public investment and transparent decision-making.

Our advocacy is guided by evidence, planning policy, environmental legislation and respect for community consultation rather than political affiliation.

Our approach

Protect Oxley Beach Port Macquarie seeks to promote informed discussion based on facts, evidence and respectful community engagement.

We have undertaken extensive research into the planning proposal and have engaged with Traditional Owners, residents, technical specialists, community organisations and government agencies to better understand the issues associated with the proposed development.

Where concerns have been identified, we have sought to present them transparently and support them with publicly available information and planning documentation.

We believe good planning outcomes are achieved when decisions are informed by sound evidence, strategic planning, environmental stewardship and meaningful community participation.

Our vision

Our vision is for a Port Macquarie-Hastings community that continues to invest in high-quality public recreation while protecting the places that make our coastline unique.

We support the development of an ocean pool where it can be delivered in a location that is environmentally appropriate, culturally respectful, financially responsible, accessible, strategically justified and capable of serving the community for generations to come.

We believe Oxley Beach already holds exceptional value as a natural coastal landscape. Preserving its cultural heritage, environmental significance, geological importance and community character is an investment that will benefit both current residents and future generations.

Together, we are working to ensure that decisions about Oxley Beach are informed by evidence, guided by good planning principles and made in the long-term public interest.