Clean Up Australia Day (CUAD) is on again, next Sunday at 9am – check out the link to right on the front page for more information (the one with the pretty picture!!).

This media release was sent out to various newspapers in the last couple of days – we’re hoping for a good turnout this year so please make every effort to be there, particularly if you are a Pt Impossible beach user and would like to do your bit to help us keep the beach open (and clean!!).

Just a reminder too, the areas that usually need the most cleaning (like the carpark and the dunes) are not designated CO areas, so if you want to help but don’t want to be nude on the day, that’s no problem!! We have special permission to be in the dunes for this event (granted by the Surf Coast Shire) so get along and show your support!!

See you on the beach!!

Don’t Rubbish our Free Beaches

Point Impossible (Torquay) nudists will take part in this year’s “Clean Up Australia Day” on Sunday March 1st.

This marks the third year that users of the Clothing Optional Beach have taken the positive action of registering the area as an official “Clean Up Australia” site, and have called on beach users, both local and tourist visitors, to invest some of their time into ensuring that the beach remains a place of beauty.

“The effort on Clean Up Australia Day sends an important signal that beach users are prepared to take responsibility, and make a contribution to ensuring that Point Impossible remains Victoria’s premier Clothing Optional beach.”

In recognising the importance of beach users working with responsible authorities, Surf Coast Shire has granted the group a special exemption to access the protected dune area for the duration of the Clean Up, and, as in previous years, Great Ocean Road Coast Committee will be assisting with the loan of some equipment and in removing the rubbish collected.

“Following the clean up, we will be making time to enjoy the beach – naturally”

Those able to help are requested to gather at the Point Impossible carpark on Sunday morning by 9:30am, and to bring gloves, bags and buckets for collecting broken glass and other litter.

Further details are available at the Clean Up Australia website:

www.cleanup.org.au

or at:

www.fbanavic.org

A great article about all the beaches in The Age today. According to the article:

For more than 30 years, nudists have been getting their gear off around Melbourne. Here’s Metro’s guide to the best clothes-free beaches. Luke Buckmaster reports

Great comments from Barbara Rolfe, who represented the views of the nudist/naturist community very well in the article. Werner Jacob, president of the Nudist Association of Victoria, also made some excellent comments, so thanks to both of you.

More from the article:

Nakedness and liberation is an association widely echoed within the nudist community, but self-empowerment tends to mean little to those who campaign against public nudity. Pro-nude organisations such as Free Beaches Australia Incorporated claim their shores are constantly under threat from the nudity naysayers: councils, property developers and religious lobbyers.

To read the entire article, click here

One of the proposals outlined at a Surf Coast Shire Council beach update workshop discussed the installation of security CCTV cameras in beach car parks along the Surf Coast Shire. The proposal was not limited to the CO beaches, as there is apparently inappropriate behaviour occurring in car parks in general.

As quoted in the article:

Surf Coast Shire Cr Brian McKiterick said the cameras, which were poised to be installed on the beach’s car park last October, were still being reviewed.

“There are ongoing investigations to determine if the cameras would be a benefit or not,” Cr McKiterick said.

“There have been no reports of obscene behaviour and police have increased patrols over the summer to make sure people are not entering dunes.”

Cameras were always going to be a tricky proposition, and other methods of controlling inappropriate behaviour appeared to improve the situation. Fines for entering and being found in the dunes, plus increased police patrols were always going to be more effective than cameras.

Click here for the full article – and our thanks to Rob who was quoted in the article, for representing the interests of the nudist community so well!!

From a post on the Melbourne Forums, this news just in!!

Surf Coast Shire Elections
Posted by: “Rob” bendigonudey
Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:04 pm (PST)

Members of this Group, and both users and supporters should be pleased with the news that Surf coast Shire elections have been held, and the very inteeligent, thoughtful voter of that Local Government Area have NOT re-elected Cr Ron Humphrey.

Thus, following this election, of the original five who attempted to have the legal staus of Pt Impossible withdrawn in July 2006, only two remain of Council.

Of the other seven, including a few new faces, those who know say that six are regarded as “progressives” and one as “unknown”.

This means, I think, that our beaches in Surf Coast are now SAFE for the foreseeable future, but we should never forget that we very nearly lost them, at least in part because we weren’t paying enough attention, and were not doing our best to ensure that beach-goers were there for legitimate purposes.

So, this summer – let’s go to the beaches and enjoy them, but make sure that we do take personal responsibility to stop or report the stuff that we know does not belong on the beach.

I think everyone will agree this is good news for the beaches. However, now is not the time to be complacent – behave yourselves on the beaches, be aware of activity around you, and REPORT anything inappropriate (particularly in the carpark and dunes areas) to the police!!

We recently received an email from John Foss, an Independent candidate in the upcoming Surf Coast Shire elections. We won’t include the entire email just here, but it was nice to note:

… if people wish to get their gear off good luck to them (and make sure you have adequate sun protection). As long as nudists respect the environment I don’t have a problem.

Thanks for dropping us a line John – and we agree, definitely make sure you have adequate sun protection when visiting our great beaches (and don’t forget, nude is only allowed in the designated area – if you see someone behaving inappropriately, or they are up in the dunes where they shouldn’t be, let the police know!!)