How Social Media Ruined the Pillars
Once a beautiful oasis, now an overrun and destroyed desolate land.
A few years ago only locals knew The Pillars existed. They are hidden from the main esplanade in Mt Martha and were a mission to find. In the peak of summertime, visitors could spend the day there and only come across one other person. The cliffs were peaceful, quiet and safe. Now, people come from all over the world to visit the cliff jumping rocks.
Ironically, this article is giving more exposure to The Pillars. However, it aims to spread awareness of the damage done to the popular attraction. The area has become a headache for locals and dangerous for visitors who do not know the risks involved in cliff jumping. Vandalism, site erosion, alcoholism and injuries are the main reasons the local council pushed to close The Pillars in 2017. Graffiti on the site has imitated the Facebook ‘like’ symbol, a metaphor of how social media has damaged the site, just like the vandalism below destroyed its beauty.
Vandalism at the site, source: Pillars Coastal Walk
YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are the main reasons The Pillars have become overrun. Before the pillars exploded onto the social media scene, hardly anyone knew that they existed. Once a video was posted to YouTube explaining exactly how to get there, the area became overrun. Many people also tag their friends in photos urging them to visit the tourist attraction. The amount of people taking photos at The Pillars poses the question: Did you really go to The Pillars if you didn’t take a photo and post it on social media?
Source: Instagram
Furious at the destruction left behind by the influx of visitors, locals took to social media to publicise their concerns. Local resident Dawson Shae posted to Facebook showing the destruction left behind after one busy summer day. She said “this is heartbreaking, our beautiful beaches, parks and wildlife are suffering.” Miss Shae urged visitors to take their rubbish home with them from The Pillars.
Local Mornington Peninsula Councillor Sam Hearn spoke to DScribe explaining why the council decided to close The Pillars. Mr Hearn said, “We’re trying to help the state government who aren’t as local to the issue actually understand just how much destruction is occurring and just how much of a negative impact it’s having on our local community. For the council, we’re seeing that putting a temporary fence in is a circuit breaker in the short term to at least bring some change to the issue.”
Source: Mount Martha Coastal Walk
Bayside news reported that The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning “pulled the plug on the shire’s biggest weapon – a fence. Lily D’Ambrosio, the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change “told the council that a fence is not in line with government policy.”
The difficulty is building a fence without further damaging the site. Mr Hearn said “we need to get support and action from Vic Roads, the Department of the Environment and from Aboriginal Victoria. That’s one of the challenges for us as the council. The issue matters so much to us as a local community and it’s affecting us in so many ways, we feel like something has to happen.” So, what will happen? For now, only time will tell.
Source: Herald Sun
During the cold winter months, visitors can still be found at The Pillars. However, when the days get warmer and Summer eventually comes back, the issue remains: No fencing or enforced restrictions have been put into place. Some locals argue that even with a ban, thrill seekers will still find ways to get onto the cliffs. They will do anything for a social media post and a rush of adrenaline, no matter the cost to the environment.
