Glenelg’s Moseley Beach Club could pave way for more sand bars in Holdfast Bay Council
THE Moseley’s new beach bar could pave the way for more licensed venues on exclusive sections of Glenelg beach, with Holdfast Bay Council refusing to rule out offering more leases.
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THE Moseley’s new beach bar could pave the way for more licensed venues on exclusive sections of Glenelg beach, with Holdfast Bay Council refusing to rule out offering more leases.
The council says it will evaluate the success and impacts of The Moseley Bar and Kitchen’s beach club, before deciding whether to allow venues to set up similar schemes.
The introduction of the Moseley Beach Club has also prompted Henley Beach traders to reconsider a plan to establish a section of sand with sun lounges on it where beachgoers could buy food and drinks from local businesses.
Since it opened on January 17 as South Australia’s first licenced beach venue, the Moseley Beach Club on the sand north of the jetty has divided opinion. Holdfast Bay Residents’ Association president Jack Messenger said there was “general concern about the alienation of the beach due to the exclusive use”.
However, he said most people seemed to be comfortable with the venue and he wanted to wait until the trial was complete before passing judgment.
“It’s an initiative that others could well have tackled but didn’t, so the Moseley has taken that initiative and it doesn’t appear to be having a safety impact or other serious negative impact,” he said.
Glenelg North resident Aime Bowers said she was worried about rowdy guests. Apart from the Moseley’s bar, a dry zone is in place on Glenelg beach.
“It’s a public area – no one else is supposed to be having drinks on the beach except this particular little section,” Mrs Bowers said. Holdfast Bay city activation manager Marnie Lock said the venue’s trial would finish in April.
“(The) council can consider how successful the trial was, address any potential associated issues, and look at the broader context as we plan for the 2018-19 summer events season,” Ms Lock said. The council was yet to receive any proposals from other businesses to run similar ventures. Surf Life Saving SA would not comment on whether the bar had hindered surf life saving activities, but said drinking alcohol and swimming was not a safe activity.
“We recommend if heading to the bar at the beach you don’t plan to swim,” spokeswoman Sita Bacher said. Moseley Bar and Kitchen manager Tom Sellar said the feedback he had received was overwhelmingly positive. Henley Beach Business Association past president and committee member Les Copley said there was hope they could establish a section of sun lounges on the beach where traders could serve food and drink. A proposal last year fell through amid divided opinion from traders and residents.
“It is still possible but it is too late to hold it this summer, it would have to be for the next one,” Mr Copley said.
THE SHIFTING SANDS ON OUR BEACHES
SPEAK to people at Glenelg about the Moseley Beach Club and it is fair to say it is making waves.
The club, which is an offshoot of the popular Moseley Bar and Kitchen in Moseley Square and South Australia’s first licensed beach venue, is occupying a prime patch of sand at Glenelg just north of the jetty.
Punters eager to legally consume alcohol on the golden sands that are usually a dry zone can book beach lounges and double day beds for the afternoon or sunset sessions.
Entry is free, while the lounges carry a minimum-spend package of $50 or $100, redeemable on food, drinks and even towels. Since it opened for a trial period on January 17 it has become a talking point across the Bay.
For some, it is a much-needed attraction at the popular tourist destination that will help bring visitors to the area and is a boost for business across the board.
For others, it is the start of a slippery slope towards sectioning off more exclusive areas of public beaches, denying others access to sections of the coast and creating safety concerns around drinking alcohol in what is otherwise a dry zone.
Holdfast Bay Council has refused to rule out offering more leases and a group of Henley traders, who failed in a bid to set up a section of sun lounges on the sand last year, are eyeing another tilt at setting one up for next summer.
Glenelg’s Liam Hanna said the bar stopped people from using the beach, which should be open to everyone. He was concerned “a swag of businesses” may rush to set up on the beach.
“The iconic Aussie culture of a game of beach cricket, a clutch of kids digging and building sandcastles or a gang of teenagers gathering to share the secrets of growing up will be banished to further up the beach,” Mr Hanna said.
“Come the end of the (trial) period I’d be very interested in calling for all people who do object to join me.”
The Advertiser’s online poll this week revealed 51 per cent of the 584 respondents supported the Glenelg bar, further evidence of the division in opinion.
Michaela Martiensen and her friend, Samantha Southwood, tried out the new beach bar with a Pimms in hand this week and had positive feedback.
“I think it’s awesome and it’s really good for Glenelg to fresh it up a bit,” Ms Martiensen, of Greenwith said.
“The live music brings a good element to it too, it’s like an escape from Adelaide.
“I don’t think it takes up too much space along the beach.”
But Argentinian tourists Martias Ghirimoldi and Agustina Pucheta, who visited Glenelg this week, have seen first hand how the exclusive beach clubs can rapidly grow.
“In Argentina, you have to pay to use the chairs on the beach and they go so close to the water, if you don’t pay you, don’t get any room on the sand,” Mr Ghirimoldi said.
“So it may not be a good idea from our experience. First there is one, but then there’s two, three, four and so on.”
Moseley Bar and Kitchen manager Tom Sellar said he had received overwhelmingly positive feedback.
He did not believe the bar was turning the beach into an exclusive area or making Glenelg less family friendly.
“There’s 11km of beach, and we take up 33m (in length),” he said.
“It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, people can drink here in a controlled environment whereas before they would have gone down to the beach, where it’s a dry zone, and done it illegally.”
A few kilometres up the beach at Henley, the Glenelg model has prompted renewed interest for a plan to set up 100 sun lounges on the sand.
Former Henley Beach Business Association president Gemma Foord Antunes last year floated the idea of a “Henley Meets the Riviera” event for the beach, dividing local opinion.
Under the proposal, individual businesses would pay for their own lounges and umbrellas and serve people food and drink on the beach on Fridays and Saturdays only.
The association’s past president and committee member Les Copley said there was still hope the event may go ahead.
“It is still possible but it is too late to hold it this summer, it would have to be for the next one,” Mr Copley said.
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