Avalon Beach: The secret life of Sydney’s insular peninsula
Avalon Beach: The secret life of Sydney’s insular peninsula
Artists, writers, surfers and boy soldiers: What other surprises does Avalon have in store?
By Chantal Abitbol
6 June, 2011
The gentle crescent of sand at Avalon Beach and the excellent surf have attracted visitors for decades.
Some 27 kilometers north of Sydney city, only one road connects Avalon to the rest of the world. A well-kept secret, its surf has long attracted board riders. Its beauty once gained the attention of TV series “Baywatch”, but when the glitzy production tried to set up permanently, the locals successfully protested.

“It has a reputation of an insular peninsula, and to a degree that’s true. It has massage parlors, outdoor cafes, boutiques, every form of yoga and alternative therapy. It’s a lot like Byron Bay.”

See the full article from “CNNGo.com”

POLICE are searching for a knife-wielding man who robbed a massage parlour in St Leonards last night.
Police said the armed robber threatened a female worker before stealing a small amount of cash at the Pacific Hwy business around 6.30pm.
The man is described as being 30 to 40 years old, of Caucasian appearance, 180cm tall, with a muscular build and short brown hair.
Police said he had tattoos of a gorilla’s head, spider web and a torch.
He was wearing dark clothing at the time.
Forensic officers established a crime scene and searched the area for clues.
“Police have stepped up patrols of the area as they try to locate the offender,’’ a police spokesman said.
If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

See the full article from “Cumberland Courier Newspapers”

Police are hunting for an armed robber after a north Sydney massage parlour was robbed at knife-point.
Just before 6.30pm (AEDT) on Thursday the knife-wielding man entered a Pacific Highway massage parlour in St Leonards.
The man, who police have been told had tattoos of a gorilla’s head, a spider web and a torch, allegedly threatened a female employee before stealing a small sum of cash and fleeing the store.
He was last seen wearing dark-coloured clothing and has been described as Caucasian, aged about 30 or 40 with a muscular build and short brown hair.
The crime scene has been secured and is being examined by forensics officers and police have stepped up patrols of the area to try to locate the offender.
Police are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

See the full article from “Sydney Morning Herald”

Police are appealing for information after an armed robbery at a Yagoona massage parlour overnight.
About 11pm yesterday, two men (one of whom had a small firearm) and the other a knife entered the business on the Hume Highway at Yagoona near the intersection of Highlands Ave.
A male employee was threatened with the firearm and assaulted as the males demanded money.
The offenders took the employees’ mobile phones and wallets before leaving the building. The males were last seen running along Highlands Ave.
The two men have been described to police as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance.
The first man, aged in his mid-20s, was approximately 180cm tall, of solid build and was unshaven at the time he was last seen.

No shots were fired and a male employee of the massage parlour suffered a minor injury after being assaulted during the robbery.

See the full article from “Canterbury-Bankstown Express”

Police are appealing for information after an armed robbery at a south western Sydney massage parlour overnight.
About 11pm yesterday, two males one of whom had a small firearm and the other a knife entered the business on the Hume Highway at Yagoona near the intersection of Highlands Avenue.
A male employee was threatened with the firearm and assaulted as the males demanded money.
The offenders took the employees mobile phones and wallets before leaving the building. The males were last seen running along Highlands Avenue.
The two men have been described to police as being of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean appearance.
The first man, aged in his mid-twenties, was approximately 180cm tall, of solid build and was unshaven at the time he was last seen.

No shots were fired and a male employee of the massage parlour suffered a minor injury after being assaulted during the robbery.

See the full article from “NSW Police Online (press release)”

Published:  28 April, 2011
THE German former pornographic film star who, as revealed in last week’s NT, is planning moving to north Sutherland to open a hairdressing salon and massage parlour, says that he wishes to apologise to the people of Durness.
An article in a Sunday newspaper headlined “German porn star plans to buy hideaway – but faces stiff opposition” quoted various people in Durness, including local Highland councillor George Farlow, as saying the move was inappropriate.
But it was later revealed they had been asked if they approved of gay porn being filmed in the village.
Now, in an exclusive interview with the NT, Philipp Tanzer (whose film name is Logan McCree) says he is sorry that so much bad publicity has been focussed on Durness and he outlines his plans for moving to the village.
And while telling us about his background, he also reveals that, at the age of 16, his mother was shot dead by her second h …

See the full article from “Sutherland Northern Times”

A BUILDING inspector at a Sydney council received free massages and sexual favours from a local bath house in return for not reporting that illegal services were being offered, the state’s corruption watchdog has heard.
Willoughby City Council building inspector Edward Karkowski appeared at a hearing of the Independent Commission Against Corruption today, over allegations he received massages and sexual services at Oriana Bath House in Chatswood since September 2009.
Such services were in breach of development consent given to the bath house by the council in January 2008, which specified it would operate as a beauty and massage centre only, and “that staff would be fully dressed, and that there would be no body to body massage or sex offered at the premises,” the inquiry was told.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Kate Williams, said the development consent had been approved by Mr Karkowski, who had received illegal sexual services from the bath house “presumably on the implicit understanding that he will turn a blind eye to the breach of the conditions”.

See the full article from “The Australian”

Spotted … Alleged murderer of Michael McGurk, Ron Medich, leaves the Chequers massage parlour at Goulburn Street, Sydney. Picture: Tom Hancock
Source: The Sunday Telegraph
MILLIONAIRE businessman Ron Medich must be under a lot of stress. Accused of murder and confined to the Sydney CBD by strict bail conditions, he sought relief at a well-known massage parlour last night.
Medich was spotted entering Chequers Health Centre in Goulburn St, an adult services club just two blocks from his city apartment, before 6pm and at 7pm The Sunday Telegraph watched him leave.
He walked up the stairs of the basement reception area and on to Goulburn St, speaking on his mobile phone.
When approached, he told The Sunday Telegraph to “p*** off”.
Medich, 62, who is charged with masterminding the 2009 contract killing of business associate Michael McGurk, must wear an electronic tracking device which alerts police if he moves outside the CBD and eastern suburbs.

See the full article from “The Daily Telegraph”

An affair has blossomed between residents of Sydney’s southeast and Thai massage, although some remain unsure whether this love story comes with a happy ending.
Three new applications for Thai massage businesses, two vying for the same premises at 387 Anzac Pde, Kingsford, and one at 265 Arden St, Coogee, aroused the interest of Randwick councillors at last Tuesday night’s meeting.

Liberal councillor Scott Nash said he felt the resolution that all applications regarding Thai massage parlours come before councillors was presumptive. But other councillors said they were suspicious after noticing a marked increase in applications.
“I am very concerned about the influx of Thai massage parlours within the City of Randwick,” Independent Anthony Andrews said.”I have heard rumours that they are later sold and then used for other services.”
Liberal councillor Ted Seng expressed concern Randwick would become known as “the city of massage parlours . . . or something akin to Kings Cross or Oxford St”.

See the full article from “Southern Courier”

… NewsCore) – They may be holy places of worship and reflection but new figures show that people in the Australian state of New South Wales may not be as safe in a church as they are at a strip club or in a brothel, The (Sydney) Sunday Telegraph reported.
The latest data, compiled by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, showed 1,600 people were charged with committing a range of 27 offenses in the state’s “places of worship” in 2008.
Surprisingly, the figures showed only 282 people were charged over the same offenses in premises classified as adult entertainment.
Bureau director Don Wedderburn said the data showed people were just as likely to be assaulted or robbed in the sanctity of a church as they were on the streets.

Premises listed under adult entertainment included strip clubs, sex shops, brothels, massage parlors, homosexual clubs, gaming houses as well as gambling clubs.

See the full article from “FOX 9 News”