Sunnyside North beach users asked to vote on Mt Eliza nude status
Locals and visitors to the last nude beach along Port Phillip Bay are being asked to help decide its future.
South East
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The only nude beach along Port Phillip Bay is back under the microscope with locals and visitors being asked to help decide if it should be saved.
Mornington Peninsula council wants residents and tourists to share their experiences at Sunnyside North beach as the council continues to consider its future.
A survey has been launched asking people if the Mt Eliza beach should remain clothing optional following heated debate at recent council meetings.
Those taking part in the survey are also asked for their postcode which will be used to weight the responses.
The opinions of locals were expected to have more influence than responses from visitors.
Mayor Anthony Marsh said the council was looking forward to hearing from residents and beach users whether it was time to ask the State Government to remove the clothing optional status.
“I encourage all Mount Eliza residents and beach users to complete this survey and include any comments or suggestions in relation to any illegal, anti-social or undesirable behaviour they have witnessed,” fellow Briars Ward councillor Steve Holland said.
A written statement from the council revealed “visitors of the naked kind” had dwindled during Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions.
The council said locals exploring their 5km radius had also rediscovered the beach.
The survey is open until April 21.
The future of Sunnyside North was raised at a February council meeting after concerns were raised about anti-social behaviour including drug use and sexual activities in the carpark and along the foreshore.
A report tabled at the meeting revealed while the issues weren’t solely associated with the clothing optional section of the beach, it was a difficult area for police to patrol.
There are three clothing optional beaches in Victoria including Sunnyside North, Point Impossible Beach, Torquay and Southside Beach near Point Addis.