A Quiet Town
A Quiet Town
A Quiet Town
Building a Future
It doesn’t matter if the sun is shining through an electric blue sky on a summer’s day, or if a raging storm can be seen rolling in with the waves, there’s no denying the unparalleled natural beauty of a quiet town like Culburra Beach.
Whether as a quick holiday getaway for some sun, sea and fresh air or as a permanent home in a supportive community to raise a family, the appeal of Culburra Beach is apparent and justified. It’s no surprise, then, that the hope to ensure its longevity does not go unnoticed or unmanaged by those with the means and desire to do so.
BRIAN MULLER
Chamber of Commerce - First National
Brian Muller has worked in real estate for 35 years, currently as Principal of Callala and Culburra First National agency and also as the President of the Culburra Beach District Chamber of Commerce. He is a man with a lot of connections, forging strong relationships with the community in which he works. As a real estate agent, it is his job to find a unique selling point in everything he sees, and the unique selling point of Culburra is that it offers affordable housing a stone’s throw from some of the south coast’s most beautiful beaches.
Despite the town’s natural appeal, the last three censuses in the area have shown a population decrease, leading to Mr. Muller’s fierce backing of the development proposal as a way of keeping people in the area and to prevent businesses from expiring. It is his view that more housing will result in the longevity of the community as the kids growing up in the town will be able to continue to live there, giving them a helpful head start in the real estate game.
Mr. Muller says “nearly all the room put their hand up” in support of the development at a meeting with the Independent Planning Commission on July 24, 2018. “If that’s not a significant number of people wanting that subdivision to go ahead, then I don’t know what is.”
He describes those opposing the proposal as a “vocal minority”.
PETER & SUE HILL
Permanent residents of Culburra
Mr. Muller is not the only one in support of the development proposal, joined in his convictions by couple Peter and Sue Hill who have lived in Culburra for 35 years and have 11 children and three foster children.
With a big family, the Hills are eager to keep their family around - a future only made possible by more housing in the area. Peter acknowledges that his support for the development came only when asked by his children to speak in its favour, to allow them the opportunity to remain in the town they were raised in and give the same experience of childhood to their own children.
He describes the community of Culburra as being very close, yet the diversity within the community has also resulted in the many and varied views about Culburra and its place in the future, hence the ongoing discussion of whether or not the proposal should be carried out.
Peter and Sue believe that it would be "extreme" to stop the proposal going ahead altogether.
