What's the temperature where you are???

[muddy75]

73 with high of 93

 

[sourland]

68F with a high of 89 predicted

 

[kikiruru]

Sunday 10th of August 9.53a.m. Sunny patches, mostly overcast and wet. 3.7 / 3.7kph W, Hg 53%, 12.8C / 55F. Showers.

Moon is 98% wane

Gold Coast council sparks controversy with plan to stop kids mud sliding on hills​

1 day ago​

By Mackenzie Colahan and Gemma Sapwell​

View attachment 4193682
Hundreds of kids covered themselved in mud sliding down North Burleigh hill when schools were closed during Tropical Cyclone Alfred. (ABC News: Mackenzie Colahan)

Images of kids covered in mud sliding down grassy hills on the Gold Coast go viral every time there is a major rain event in south-east Queensland.

It has become a tradition, providing hours of fun for stir-crazy teenagers who travel from all over to tackle the hills at Kirra and North Burleigh.

But the City of Gold Coast is sick of cleaning up the mess and is putting an end to the mud sliding once and for all.

The city is planting trees and installing sandstone seating terraces at regular intervals on the hills to end the practice for good.

The damage done to the grass during Tropical Cyclone Alfred was the final straw, after residents complained it was an eyesore and left behind a foul smell.

Councillor Gail O'Neill said "thousands" of dollars of ratepayers' money had been spent re-turfing the hills.

"We have been putting up with this for years, but over the last couple of years we have got lots of complaints," she said.

"It takes a whole lot of money and a whole lot of time to restore.

"The hill is there for everybody, not just for a few kids — and adults — who want to mud slide down there."

​

Locals divided on sliding ban​

​

The decision has polarised public opinion.​

While mud sliding has prompted plenty of complaints, not everyone is in favour of the change.

Long-time local Lorna Bartholomew, 83, said she had seen generations of kids enjoy sliding down Kirra Hill — most recently, her three grandsons during storms earlier this year.

"They just love it, for those couple of days the kids have a lot of fun," she said.

"On the Gold Coast it's not like they get snow to slide on, this is what they have instead."

Ms Bartholomew said while she understood the council's frustration at having to pay to replenish the grass, she said it provided an opportunity for local children of all ages to have fun together.

However, she will not miss the clothes being a write-off.

"The mud just does not come out, no matter how much you wash, it leaves stains," Ms Bartholomew said.

"I don't think it was dangerous because it's a relatively gradual slope and there weren't any trees or anything they were going to run into."

Cr O'Neill said she had personally witnessed a child slide off the hill and onto the footpath, and city officers had decided it had become a safety risk.

The seating terraces will be cut into the hill at Kirra this month, with works at North Burleigh to follow in September.

"I think this will be a good outcome for a lot of residents and visitors to actually walk up the hill, have a seat and watch the beautiful view," Cr O'Neill said.

"Wait and see before you make comment, you might really like the change."

ABC

I remember sliding down hills on cardboard and in big appliance size cardboard boxes.

And doing a sort of slip and slide before there was a slip and slide in the mud not on a hill though

And we always had what I call play outside clothes. It did not matter what they looked like if you were playing outside. You only got rid of them when you out grew them. And I had them for my sons when they were young too.

How dirty you or your clothes were was how much fun you were having

 

[kikiruru]

Sunday

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

Of course it was a city council member who saw the child land on the footpath and didnt submit any photo evidence

hmmm, suspicious...
Was this child, perhaps, a bird? Just flapping around, checking things out
Guess we'll never know

 

[sourland]

How dirty you or your clothes were was how much fun you were having

At the Little League World Series there is a hill that the kids slide down. One rainy evening as we were leaving four mud coated boys gathered at the pick up next to us. The dad said, "Okay take off your clothes." As the kids complained, he said, "I told you to bring clean clothes and that you were not getting into my truck if you were all muddy." He provided a blanket to each of the boys.

 

[Jenbirdee]