Aussie beach being ‘loved to death’

An Australian tourist hotspot has been turning away thousands of drivers after a beach was listed as having the whitest sand in the world.

Hyams Beach, 180 kilometres south of Sydney, achieved international acclaim after being honoured in the Guinness Book of Records. But since then the once-sleepy village of 110 permanent residents has been turned upside down, with garbage strewn around bushland reserves and cars parked illegally on its narrow streets.

“Go back, Hyams Beach is at full capacity,” read one illuminated sign on the only road leading to the beach in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.

Over the past two weeks, local councillors have turned back thousands of vehicles as they brainstorm solutions with residents to combat the influx, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The village has just one shop and café with a parking capacity of 400, but that has swelled to up to 5,000 vehicles during peak summer times.

The beach has been “loved to death,” villagers association member Lois Sparkes said.

“We want people to come and enjoy the village and the beaches, but we ask that they respect the environment,” she said.

The New South Wales government, which promoted the beach’s “squeaky” white sand to the world, is now urging visitors to visit the 15 “other equally beautiful and less busy” beaches in the bay.