Suggestion for new webcam - Waitpinga Beach

Hi Merv

I've looked at options for a Waitpinga surfcam but it's simply not viable or cost effective.

We need several requirements in order to install a surfcam:

1. Internet connectivity. Waitpinga Beach is just outside the limits of the nearest ADSL exchange, which is actually Victor Harbor. The NBN's wireless network (currently being built across the broader Waits region) won't reach the beach. 3/4G can't be used for live surfcams due to the enormous data costs. The only real option would be a backhaul microwave link to an ADSL service at Penneshaw (!), but that is a costly solution and much less reliable.

2. Electricity. There is no on-site power, however this can however be overcome with solar (at a cost though).

3. A building to attach the camera to. The only premises there (toilet block) is unsuitable for a surfcam. We can overcome this problem with a large CCTV pole (a smaller version of what you see along the Southern Expressway), but again this would be a significant cost. Security would also be a concern at Waitpinga. 

4. Permission to get the camera installed. Because Waitpinga Beach is part of NPWS, we'd need to go through an exhaustive process to apply for, and then be granted permission to install the camera.

So, when you consider all of these hurdles, and with surfcams already an extremely expensive proposition at easy-to-install locations like Middleton and Knights, I find it very hard to justify the effort for a Waitpinga surfcam.