South coast holiday bookings recovering amid algal bloom crisis

Short-term rental bookings on the Fleurieu Peninsula’s south coast are picking up heading into summer, but the algal bloom crisis is still driving many holiday-makers away.

Industry experts say some remain nervous about the natural diaster that has plagued SA’s coastline for months despite the algae having mostly cleared in the area.

Harris South Coast holiday rental manager Henry Mould, who also takes care of accommodation bookings at Victor Harbor’s The Anchorage Hotel, said people were still hesitant to visit the area.

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Holiday rental bookings are picking up on the Fleurieu Peninsula’s south coast ahead of summer.

“There’s a lot of positivity but … I think people are still nervous,” he said.

“We’re definitely down in bookings.”

The algal bloom was initially identified in mid-March on the Fleurieu Peninsula, with reports of eye irritations and respiratory symptoms among a large group of surfers.

The situation worsened over the following months as it spread through SA waters, including around Kangaroo Island, the Coorong and Yorke Peninsula, as well as metro beaches and even West Lakes and the Port River.

Thousands of dead sea creatures have washed up on beaches, including sharks, while reefs have been left lifeless.

While it has mostly cleared on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the algae remains in some areas, with large amounts of algae foam still blanketing many metro beaches.

Mr Mould said a cautious holiday-maker this week cancelled their accommodation because of recent news reports about the algal bloom.

Bookings overall are still down though as some remain nervous about the algal bloom crisis. Picture: RoyVPhotography.

There was an uplift around the October long weekend, he said, although they were bookings made at the 11th hour.

Harris Real Estate South Coast director Mark Forde said people were waiting until the “last minute” to book so they could assess the most recent algae information.

“People are booking but they’re leaving it to the last minute – people were booking at the last second before the long weekend,” he said.

“The interest is definitely picking up though.”

Both Mr Forde and Mr Mould were optimistic about the summer period, especially as the algal bloom didn’t appear to be as big an issue on the Fleurieu anymore.

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Harris South Coast holiday letting manager Henry Mould.

Harris South Coast director Mark Forde.

“It’s nowhere near as bad now, a lot of it is clearing up,” Mr Forde said.

“Our beaches are looking pretty clear now.

“We were one of the first areas to get it and it lingered for a while but it’s definitely so much better.

“We’re hopeful it will be business as usual for the summer holiday period.”

The state and federal government recently revealed a $102.5m plan to protect SA coastal businesses, communities and the environment.

The Algal Bloom Summer Plan includes investing more than $20m into coastal environment restoration, $17m for monitoring and research, and $20.6m to go towards natural environment initiatives such as large-scale native oyster reef restoration.