Bushrangers Bay drowning: Day trippers flock to dangerous beach
Police are warning day trippers about the dangers of rock pool rambles at a remote Mornington Peninsula beach.
South East
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Police are urging day trippers to “know the risks” before visiting a dangerous Mornington Peninsula beach that claimed the life of a woman on Wednesday.
Australia Post employee Aida Hamed, 45, died after being swept off rocks by huge waves at Bushrangers Bay, near Cape Schanck.
Another woman, 47 and her teenage daughters, 19 and 13 Ms Hamed was with also had to be rescued from the water.
All the women were from Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Mornington Peninsula Local Area Commander Inspector Janene Denton warned visitors that the secluded beach was known to be treacherous and its remote location made it difficult for emergency services to reach those in trouble.
“We’re not going to tell people not visit our beautiful beaches,” Inspector Denton said.
“But they need to be aware of their own abilities and understand that this beach is treacherous.
“There have been several drownings here.”
Melbourne rapper and R and B musician Jjay De Melo drowned while swimming with a friend at the beach on January 22, 2019.
Bushrangers Bay can only be accessed on foot via two steep bush tracks that each take about 30 minutes to navigate.
A sign warning of sudden large waves, strong rip currents and unstable cliff edges is prominently displayed at the only entrance to the beach.
On Thursday morning both car parks near the entrance of each trail were full and there was a steady stream of walkers along the tracks.
Some were dressed in active wear and appeared to be exercising while others were carrying boogie boards and towels.
At least two groups did not speak English.
Some walkers were aware that Ms Hamed had died the day before while others were shocked when told about the tragedy.
“I had no idea,” Faye Triantis said.
“The Northcote woman was planning to walk the trail with a family of four including Antonia Mertikas.
She said she was familiar with the location.
“I know how dangerous that beach is and how important it is to be aware of tides and rips and to avoid going on the rocks.”
Ms Mertikas had also visited the area before and was saddened but not surprised to hear someone had died at the beach.
“The ocean doesn’t discriminate,” she said.
“We know not to go on the rocks and tell our children the same.”
First time visitor to Bushrangers Bay, Maddie, said she heard about the suspected drowning before heading to the each from Melbourne but continued with her plans.
“I was shocked to hear about it this morning. I haven’t been to this beach before but my friends told me about it. Apparently the rockpools are amazing.”
Ms Hamed’s death was one of three suspected drownings in a horror day in Victorian waterways.
An 82 year old man was found unresponsive in the water at Rye front beach about 4pm.
He was pulled to the water but could not be revived.
His death will be investigated by the coroner.
Also on Wednesday a 29-year-old Rowville woman tragically died after trying to assist a teenager who was seen struggling in the water at Venus Bay, Gippsland at 7.30pm on Wednesday.
The young woman got into difficulty during the rescue.
She was pulled from the water by the off-duty lifeguard but could not be saved.
The teenager survived.
And at 5.50pm, a four-year-old Doveton girl was flown to hospital in a critical condition after she was found unresponsive in the water at Lysterfield Lake in Melbourne’s southeast.
