New data prompts Lake Mac lifeguards to raise summer flags for longer

Lake Mac beaches will be patrolled for an extra two hours a day until the end of January following the release of new data confirming when people are most likely to visit for a dip.

Lake Macquarie City Council Manager Leisure Services Brad Sutton said monitoring of beach visitation over the past two years as part of the Smart Beaches program showed an influx of people heading to the coast before and after work. “Smart Beaches monitoring has provided hard data to back up our lifeguards’ observations of visiting habits, creating an excellent case to keep our beaches open longer each day.”

Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the altered schedule showed how technology could provide real-world benefits.

“It’s fantastic how the data we’ve collected can contribute to decisions to improve the services we deliver to the community,” she said.

Under the Smart Beaches program, software automatically counts visitor numbers without identifying specific people at all four patrolled Lake Mac beaches.

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