I have written a few other stories about Wedge. I just wanted to put together something to try to explain why I love Wedge and why I would love to see it preserved for future generations.
Wedge is not the same as it was when I was a child. It has progressed and changed, and it will continue to. I can only hope that the essence of Wedge remains. Wedge is made up of many different walks of life. People from all income levels enjoy Wedge Island and interact with each other. People leave their expectations of people in Perth and come and socialize and enjoy Wedge Island together.

I was very lucky to grow up at Wedge Island. It is important to me because it is my home. It is just as important to the many other people that come to Wedge. Some people only come once a year, some every weekend. There are also those who don’t have shacks that enjoy camping in the dunes. There are the retiree’s, families, surfers, kite surfers and windsurfers that enjoy the pristine beaches. There are so many people that enjoy Wedge.

The shack owners of Wedge will be the ones who ultimately lose their lifestyle. There are people that are retired there. There are people who go there to rid the stresses of Perth and work. There are people who live at Wedge and who work at Wedge. There are people who live at Wedge who work close by. There is the next generation of children being raised at Wedge.

I had the opportunity to live with my husband and two children at Wedge Island for three months on the start of our trek around Australia. My son is only four and he still talks about what we did at Wedge, and when can we go back. We recently went back for a weekend and the enjoyment it bought us all was great. Once Wedge is in you, it never leaves.

I have heard many arguments about why the shacks should not be there and why they should. The shacks and shack owners are not a problem in my view. In the past the population of Wedge has managed its own community and policed it well. The shire has received $900 a year from each shack owner and done nothing for this money, (good revenue raising I believe, I don’t understand why they want us gone!). The Wedge Island community has protected this unique coastal area. I understand the Indian Ocean Drive makes this community accessible to many more people. We are travelling Australia and have come across many coastal towns which are basically Wedge shacks and have power and water now connected to them. These places have managed to stay and the public access to them has become the norm. Wedge can continue to be as it is with progression around it. I have heard the argument that the people at Wedge shouldn’t have the privilege of living there. There is plenty of land around Wedge Island that can be developed further. Wedge and Grey are two amazing settlements of Western Australia. We have seen in our travels that were shacks have been removed there is nothing there anymore. Not many people go there. Lancelin would miss out on a lot of income from the decrease in visitors to Wedge Island. Cervantes would also lose the business from Grey.
I can see a future for Wedge within the next step of progression.