Christmas day.
1pm. There is a heavy police presence on "Australia's most famous beach". The beach is barricaded and fluoro yellow security guards at each gate are checking bags and confiscating booze. The no-alcohol rule is strictly enforced today. The sand is evenly spread with groups on picnic blankets. More heads wear santa hats than not. They're mostly young people. It's fair to assume they're mostly backpackers. Even the surf life savers are wearing funny christmas hats. I don't see many of them. They seem to be in inverse proportion to law enforcement today. I guess they figure no-one's likely to do anything silly.
It's cold. Backpackers lie on their towels in the traditional tanning pose but they're fully clothed. So they're probably just sleeping off hangovers.
Up on the street, are countless small groups of police, just walking around; making their presence felt. The local school is seconded for the day as the police car parking lot. The Plain clothes police are easy to spot too. The clue is the 2-way radio hanging off the belt.
On the beach, and up here, everyone is very well behaved. The atmosphere is so relaxed and cheerful that the security seems like overkill.
11pm. The main street is blocked-off by police and barricades. An ambulance is wailing towards the cordon. Perhaps the overkill has become necessary after all. The drunken misbehaviour, that was expected, has become true.
Boxing Day.
9am. Whatever it was, did not make the news this morning. Last word in the press: "last night a police spokesman said there had been no arrests, and the day had passed without incident."
So - whatever the 'incident', it was not newsworthy.
Photos: Sahlan Hayes
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