Phillip Island Schoolies cause brawl on Cowes foreshore

A brawl broke out in Phillip Island on Saturday night as more than 200 youths gathered to kick off the start of Schoolies.

A brawl broke out in Phillip Island on Saturday night after more than 200 youths gathered on Cowes foreshore to celebrate the start of Schoolies.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said officers were monitoring crowd behaviour when they became aware of a fight between several men at midnight on the Esplanade.

Additional resources moved the men on and the crowd dispersed shortly after.

Police arrested a 25-year-old local man for drunkenness during the night.

Victoria Police Senior Sergeant Andrew O’Brien said police have resourced additional numbers for Schoolies hotspot locations including Cowes and Tidal River in Wilson’s Prom.

“For the first year ever, we believe that numbers will be on the increase [in Tidal River] so we have put some extra resources there to monitor what happens,” he said.

He said Victoria Police are “always concerned” about large crowds gathering.

“Obviously this time with restrictions, it makes it a bit more problematic but in past years the young folk attending have been co-operative and behaved themselves and we expect the same again this year,” he said.

Extra resources are also on hand in the Mornington Peninsula to deal with crowds in Dromana, Rye and Rosebud.

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