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.

Following the website launch, the ANF’s public relations officer Peter Struik appeared to talk about the new website, the nudist guidelines, and provide more info about the community – and did a great job!!

You can watch the interview here – Channel 7 Morning Show

If you haven’t already done so, go and get yourself registered on the ANF website http://www.aus-nude.org.au and be a part of this great community!!

One of the major problems facing the Australian naturist community is a distinct lack of up-to-date quality information and resources. The whole reason this website came into existence was because of the lack of information about anything in Victoria. But things are a-changin’!! The ANF has launched a new website, and it’s got a heap of stuff going on!!

Click the link to check it out -> http://www.aus-nude.org.au/

The launch of the new website also generated some good media, check these links out:

“Australian Nudist Federation publishes guidelines for naturists”
“Nudists told not to have sex while they’re naked”

Of course, article titles are less than ideal, as usual!! But, ha ha, that second title is a real side-splitter isn’t it?? *sigh* On a positive front though, once you get past the titles, the articles themselves are actually pretty good.

We encourage everyone to support the ANF efforts with the new website – get over there, create yourself an account and participate in the forums!! And make sure you leave some feedback – sites are supposed to evolve and adapt to what the users want, but it’s not possible to read your minds!!

Well done to the ANF and the website devloper for a great effort!!

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

It would appear some people are either not aware of the beach issues, not listening, or just not thinking. Apologies for the long post, but we need to highlight how the community tries to do the right thing and self-regulate inappropriate behaviour so that our beaches are safer and more enjoyable environments for all users, clothed and otherwise.

First, this post appeared on one of the community forums:

play
Posted by: [name removed]
Thu Jan 15, 2009 11:14 pm (PST)
just wondering how other members feel about couples playing (discretely or otherwise) on the beach. my partner and i when visiting Sunnyside, notice that couple do attract our attention and others i presume. As for us,we enjoy a little play, nothing that would’nt be acceptable if we were in cozy’s, but we have noticed some seem to take if a little further… we enjoy watching and sometimes feel it is put on for our benefit. there is nothing more beautiful than the naked body…. or should i say two naked bodies and in an adult enviroment – should we be critical.

Clearly this kind of comment and enquiry flies in the face of everything we’ve tried to establish for our beaches, in terms of appropriate behaviour and etiquette… and sure enough, the community unleashed!! Here are 2 of the swift replies:

Re: play
Posted by: [name removed]
Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:16 pm (PST)

[name removed], wake up and look at the bigger picture.

A public beach is not the place for any kind of ‘adult play’. It is that kind of activity from users of our clothes-optional beaches that can eventually lead to its closure to nudists.

Don’t indulge their fantasies by watching, it will only encourage such inappropriate behaviour to continue. If you want to watch another couple going for it, I’m sure you can find what you’re after on the net.

And this:

Re: play
Posted by: [name removed]
Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:42 am (PST)

Noooooooooooooooooooooo!

[name removed],

Do what ever you like, with whoever you like in private.

That is not the beach, the adjacent dunes and scrub, or the toilet in the carpark.

Our hold on the beaches is tenuous, but is stronger now that it was a couple of years ago because of a lot of hard work.

The reason we almost lost the lot was to do with people who thought that a clothing optional beach was a great place for them to indulge their sexual whims.

Remember, the law says they are clothing optional – no more. Anyone engaging in activity that goes beyond simply being naked runs the risk of copping the full force of the law for offensive behaviour, obscene exposure, etc.

We encourage everyone to do the right thing on the beaches – they are clothing optional, nothing more. There is a designated area for being clothing optional, and nowhere else. You should behave on the beach the same way you would behave on any other beach (actually, we should be BETTER behaved, we have a higher standard to maintain!). And if you see something out of place, don’t be afraid to report it – the police are aware of our efforts to improve the beaches, and encourage us to report activity that doesn’t belong.