Naturists upset about changes to nude beach boundaries

NATURISTS are upset that the boundaries of the nude beach at Point Impossible have shifted to the east, saying the changes were made without their feedback and may result in conflict with other beach users.

According to a map on the Surf Coast Shire’s website, the legal area for the clothing-optional beach now starts from about 350 metres south west of the 53W marker at Point Impossible, then extends south-west towards Whites Beach for a distance of about 1km.

The area extends from the top of the first dune out towards the ocean to about 100 metres beyond the low water mark.

Its western end can be reached from a track from the car park at the end of The Esplanade (55W marker) and the area used to extend to both the left and right sides of the track, but the changes mean the boundary is in line with where the track exists onto the beach, with no nude bathing allowed to the right towards Whites Beach.

In a statement, the Australian Naturist Federation (ANF) said there had been “no consultation at all” with the ANF as the organisation that represents naturists, despite the ANF logo being displayed on the information sign in the car park set up by the shire.

The ANF also stated regular users of the clothing optional beach had raised concerns with them about the changes.

“Most importantly, we believe the very future of the clothing-optional beach at Point Impossible is at risk should the change of location result in new conflict points.”

One of these could be at the beach access track, “as now non-nude bathers will be in direct vuiew of naked bathers when first arriving on the beach”, the ANF stated.

“Naturists who like to swim in the surf have been disadvantated as much as the shoreline of the new clothing-optional beach location has a significant rock shelf, which makes swimming dangerous at high tide or impossible at low tide.”

The new boundary could also cause “potential conflict with surfers at the north-eastern end” of the nude beach.

The ANF also raised concerns about how the moved boundaries would put more pressure on the habitat of the hooded plover between Breamlea and Point Impossible Road, and that the Point Impossible car park (which is reached via The Esplanade) was “far too small to accommodate significantly increased beach usage” by people in the non-nude section towards Whites Beach.

Under Victorian law, the Nudity (Defined Areas) Act 1983 does not permit nude bathing within the dunes themselves.

Victoria has only two other nude beaches, with one of them also in the Surf Coast and located at Southside, west of Bells Beach.