‘E-bike cowboys’ swarm Sydney Northern Beaches golf club

1 month ago 17

Dozens of e-bike riders have swarmed a golf course on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, prompting further debate over the use of electronic cycles.

Police were called to the Long Reef Golf Club about 12.15pm on Friday, after reports “dozens of young people riding e-bikes” through the course.

Reports of dozens of young people on e-bikes brought police to a golf course on Sydney’s Northern Beaches on Friday.

The group had left the scene by the time patrolling police arrived.

Inquiries are continuing, a NSW Police spokesperson said.

Vision of the incident at the golf club, at Collaroy also on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, was shared on Facebook by nearby Cromer Golf Club on Saturday, before being reposted by other users.

Long Reef Golf Club has been contacted for comment.

Cricketer Mitchell Starc recently hit a hole-in-one at the course, shortly after taking out the Player of the Series honours as Australia retained the Ashes.

Local independent media outlet, Manly Observer, also shared footage on Friday of a large group of young people riding e-bikes through the streets of the Northern Beaches.

“Heads up, the dudes are on parade today,” the outlet warned.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said the sight was “quite intimidating”.

“It’s swarms of gangs of kids on bikes, and literally, it’s e-bike cowboys,” she told 2GB on Monday.

“Thirty to 50 kids on a bike swarming together, that horrific video footage of the golf course being torn up by kids riding on it and tearing up the greens there.

“It’s got to be incredibly intimidating for people.

“We all want them out riding bikes. We want them being healthy and getting off screens, but we want them doing it safely with community support, not these mass rideouts,” she said.

Another group involved in a “mass rideout” were captured in another video at Cronulla over the weekend.

Number plates for teens riding e-bikes has been proposed.

The opposition has been calling for number plates on e-bikes for “specific cohorts” including riders under 18 to help with identification.

The government is considering insurance for private e-bikes as recommended by a parliamentary inquiry, after introducing laws requiring shared e-bike schemes to be covered by compulsory third-party insurance.

Transport Minister John Graham has said the government is open to working with the opposition, but last week questioned how effective a number plate scheme would be and the resourcing it would require.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward says gangs of young people on e-bikes are intimidating.

Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby told Nine News parents need to be aware of the dangers.

“If their children are riding unregistered, uninsured motorbikes, they could be liable for any injuries sustained,” he said on Sunday.

E-bikes have come under increasing scrutiny, including recent calls from doctors and lawyers to force riders to be covered by the same green slip insurance as other vehicles on the road.

Premier Chris Minns announced plans to halve the power limit of e-bikes in December.

It came hours after the death of a rider at Ultimo, one of four people who died on e-bikes in NSW in 2025.

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