Byron Bay naturist group’s plan for mass nude protest at Tyagarah Beach
More than 1000 naturists fighting the closure of a contentious northern NSW nude beach will flock to the dunes in protest this week – wearing nothing more than their hearts on their sleeves. POLL
NSW
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It’s a topic so hot it may as well be a naked flame.
More than 1000 naturists fighting the closure of a contentious nude beach near Byron Bay will flock to the dunes in protest this week – wearing nothing more than their hearts on their sleeves.
Tyagarah Beach, 20 minutes north of the colourful tourist township, is an 800m stretch of coastal reserve deemed Crown Land by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Now – the department wants to close it over apparent environmental issues relating to the sand dunes.
Parks was set to revoke the beach’s clothing optional status by April 8, but it could happen sooner. A request to close the beach will voted on by councillors next week.
Byron Shire Council had managed the beach over the years, which went ‘clothing optional’ in 1998.
The beach has attracted its fair share of controversy, some defending it as “liberating” and others speaking of a seedier side – “four-person orgies and men exposing themselves”.
On Sunday, members of the Facebook group Grays Lane Clothing Optional Beach Tyagarah say they will hold a nude rally on Sunday at the beloved beach, with a slogan: ‘Stand up for your right to skinny dip!”
The group, run by Byron Bay Naturists, has over 1,100 members.
“Council has been told to close Byron’s only legal nude beach next week,” a post read.
“Stand up for your right to skinny dip!
“Tyagarah Beach Rally. Dress code: Clothing-optional. Sunday February 18, 12 noon (NSW).”
An exclusive report by NewsLocal and corresponding media coverage erupted in a debate on social media, with a dividing line in the sand over the fate of the beach.
Some users backed the nude status all the way, saying baring all beachside was the most “liberating way to get back to nature”.
Others reported feeling uncomfortable at the beach, elaborating on some alleged terrifying encounters.
“I’ve been to that beach twice and both times I was hassled by filthy blokes showing me their p***s. Very scary,” one user wrote.
“I rode my bike past a four-person orgy in a beach shelter a few years ago. Disgusting,” another wrote.
One user said the beach wasn’t “family friendly”, adding: “Saw some solid beat action in the swamp”.
Another pointed out that he will see no more “one-eyed snaked and open oysters washing up on the beach”.
Several users rushed to the defence of the naturists, with one user saying “if you don’t like nude beaches, don’t frickin’ (sic) go there. Ffs”.
I’m not a nudist but shouldn’t people have a place to express themselves,” one user wrote.
“To whom do the nudists offend?,” another user asked.
“Where will all the old fellas hang out now?,” another chimed.
One user wrote an impassioned plea: “What a shame. I support a place where you can tear your gear off and run with free abandon into the waves. We are losing our wildness, our nakedness and our natural born selves.”
The rally will be held at Tyagarah Beach off Grays Lane, Tyagarah, on Sunday, February 18 at 12pm.
Let it all hang out: Naturist’s fight to save controversial nude beach
February 12: A Byron Bay naturist claims his right to freedom has been stripped after it was announced a contentious clothing optional beach will close, saying nude recreation is a “legitimate way of life”.
Tyagarah Beach, 20 minutes north of Byron Bay, is set to be shut to those wanting to bare all by April 8.
The clothing optional beach has long-attracted controversy, with several calls to close it over the years and fierce backlash from the naturist community.
In 2017, concerns for beachgoers reached their apex when a Northern Star report revealed a woman had been sexually assaulted at the Belongil end of Tyagarah.
Dozens of other women came forward on social media to report their discomfort and fear over what they described as “predatory males on the sand and in the dunes of the coastline”.
In September 2018, scores of naturists flocked to a ‘nude not lewd’ rally on the beach, stripping off and holding their picketed signs of protest.
In February, 29-year-old Byron Bay man Morrison Schrader pleaded guilty after exposing and playing with himself numerous times at Byron’s Main Beach in front of women and children.
Byron Bay naturist Bradley Benham launched a petition on change.org to keep the beach’s clothing- optional status, saying the shock announcement from parks was “unfair”.
“To Environment Minister Penny Sharpe, The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) are going to CLOSE the legal clothing-optional beach at Tyagarah by April 8, 2024,” he wrote.
“Legal outdoor spaces for the naturist community are rare in NSW (and Australia) and this beach is highly valued by both committed and casual naturists throughout the Northern Rivers and SE Queensland.”
Mr Benham went on to say that “nude recreation is a legitimate way of life” and that visitors “have the right to some public space where this freedom can be expressed”.
“The Tyagarah clothing-optional beach has been a place of fun and freedom since it was created by community activism over 25 years ago. Thousands of people now enjoy this beach responsibly,” he said.
“Closing the beach on such short notice and without public consultation or the offer of an alternate location is unfair.”
The petition to date has 306 signatures.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyons said it had come to light that the land was actually owned by the NSW parks department and that while the nude beach issue had been contentious in council in the past, the matter was now “a parks and wildlife service issue”.
Mr Benham and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service have been contacted for further comment.
Got a story tip? Email sam.stolz@news.com.au
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Originally published as Byron Bay naturist group’s plan for mass nude protest at Tyagarah Beach
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