Nudist beach set to be moved

A NUDIST beach in Torquay may be relocated slightly in response to population growth in the town, and the Surf Coast Shire council is supportive of the idea.

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee’s (GORCC) draft Point Impossible to Jan Juc Master Plan identifies several measures to improve the 11.5 kilometres of Crown land on the foreshore between Point Impossible and Jan Juc.

One of the proposed short-term improvements is moving the nudist beach at Point Impossible further east.

The plan states the proposal’s rationale is to “avoid conflict between beach users at Nudies”, and the council’s submission to the draft master plan agrees with this.

GORRC suggests moving the nudist beach so it begins just east of the entrance to the beach from Point Impossible beach car park.

The draft master plan also suggests improving signage and existing access points to the beach to make it clearer where the nudist beach starts and finishes.

At the February 25 council meeting, Cr Martin Duke said Torquay’s expansion had made moving the nudist beach a necessity.

“That way used to be the tip road, it used to be away from everything, it was a ruddy old road to drive along. Now it’s not a bad road, and there’s housing out there now; a lot more families out there now.”

Councillors also noted it was not uncommon for various groups of beach users to be managed so they did not interfere with other people’s enjoyment of the beach.

Cr Margot Smith said there needed to be a similar separation between hydrofoil surfers and other beachgoers to ensure people could still enjoy the beach’s tranquillity.