As Victorians get a sudden reminder what cold weather feels like, we thought it might be an idea to post an article on the best beaches to go to around the world. Sadly, our own beaches are pretty awesome but clearly didn’t make the cut compared to these amazing destinations!!

If you want to escape the chill, check out this link and dream of nicer places to be!!

As a side note, one of the beaches just near Miami has its own lifeguards and police – We wonder how dune dwellers would respond to active security measures at our own beaches, such as private security?? Hmmmm….

Thanks everyone who turned up to help us with Clean Up Australia Day Point Impossible 2010 – a good turnout again this year, a few more than last year which is nice (yes, it’s getting more popular every year, even when the weather is threatening!!). The weather was kind enough to hold off, we collected 9 bags of rubbish, and every year it seems there is a little less mess to deal with – a good result overall!

In particular, thanks to Dave for organising proceedings and getting the gear all together – a fine job In Rob’s absence (while Rob is enjoying the balmy conditions in the US currently!!). Also thanks to Jenni and Co for providing food and chats after the event, a tasty bite to eat rounded out a productive day!!

Thanks too goes to Mike Bodsworth from the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee (GORCC), who dropped down to have a chat and thank us for our efforts!! Mike also mentioned that it would be a great idea to revisit the “Friends of Pt Impossible” idea that was floated at previous community and council discussion forums – it’s certainly a good idea, one that we all support, but it would be most effective if we had more local beach users willing to step up and be active participants in this idea!!

The few of us who have been the most vocal and active supporters of the beach are not actually locals – at the beach fight workshops to save Point Impossible from closure, your beach was represented by two attendees from Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs and one from Bendigo!! Come on Point Impossible beach users, we know there are a lot of you who are local!! And you don’t even have to be nude to participate – helping out on the clean up days, or planting days, all goes to show you are simply supporting a great beach valued by ALL users!!

There is a plan to do a tree planting some time towards the start of winter, to try and get some new trees established in the most damaged sections of the dunes – volunteers are needed to participate, it’s definitely a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday for the good of the beach and the environment!! Keep an eye out on this site, and the new Facebook group for further news!!

And don’t forget, CUAD will be around this time again next year, so keep your calendar free!!

Just a friendly reminder to everyone to get registered and come along to Clean Up Australia Day 2010 at Pt Impossible on 7 March – If you are user of the beach (or even if you aren’t), show some support for the community and great facilities and come along to lend a hand!!

We mostly work in the dunes, since the beach itself is usually quite neat, so you don’t even have to be nude if you’re not comfortable – if the weather is nice, usually a relax and chat happens after the hard work ends!!

Get along to this link and register with the CUAD site – we hope to see you there!!

It’s that time of year again – Clean Up Australia Day 2010 is upon us, and it’s time to get yourself organised and lock the date in your diary. Every year we have a group of regulars who come along to clean up Pt Impossible, and this year we’d like to see some more users of this popular beach come along and show your support. So get yourself registered and get along for a good bit of fun (yes, it is cleaning, but we still enjoy ourselves!!)

The details are:
Website: Click Here!
Time: 9.30am – 12.00pm
Date: 7 March 2009

Similar to prior years, you don’t have to be nude on the day if you don’t want to be, and there are locations we clean up where you aren’t allowed to be nude anyway (like in the dunes, the carpark and outside the designated clothing optional areas). Most of the work is actually in the dunes, as the beach itself is always in pretty neat condition. As everyone is aware, the dunes are not part of the designated Clothing Optional area, but we still need to do our bit to make sure our beach and its surrounds are spic and span so that visitors can enjoy one of the best beaches on the coast!!

Thanks to our new organiser Dave for his efforts this year in organising CUAD – Go Dave!!

As a side note, it would be great to get Sunnyside registered for CUAD as well – is there anyone on that side of the bay that would be interested in registering the site, and doing basically the same thing that Dave is doing? There’s not much involved – register the location, have an address that some materials can be sent to, etc. This site will be happy to provide a new email address for the person willing to organise, just drop us a line and let us know!!

According to the latest article in the Mornington Peninsula Leader, Sunnyside beach has actually been waiting for works to be completed since a 2004 report rated carpark safety and maintenance a “high priority”.

That’s over 5 years ago!! According to the article (which you can read if you click here:

The council’s sustainable environment director Alex Atkins described replacing the toilet block as “major works”. Mr Atkins said major works were addressed on a priority basis.

Fair enough – the council, like all government “businesses”, has to prioritise how funds are used, so they can maximise return on the investment! But are we the only ones that have noticed a slight bit of inconsistency here?? Apparently the council is aware of the need to complete the “major works” on the toilets since the 2004 report stated that carpark safety and maintenance is a “high priority”, and yet there is a push to close the CO beach (which is over 300 meters away)??? And we’re guessing the report didn’t say anything about the CO beach itself (since that’s not where problems have been experienced historically!!)

Toilets and carparks are problematic at many beaches – just because there happens to be a CO beach nearby does not mean an automatic association should be made.