Witness describes Torquay teen beach party chaos, fears Easter could bring more wild scenes

Residents of a Surf Coast town have described brawls, broken glass and bedlam as hundreds of underage teens partied illegally on the beach over multiple weekends. Now locals are worried it’s about to happen again.

04-04-2023 Torquay resident and father of three is concerned about large teen gatherings on holidays. Picture: Brad Fleet

Drunk teens falling out of trees, fist fights, people unconscious on the ground, litter, vomit, broken glass and vandalism – recent illegal beach parties in Torquay have seen wild scenes and residents of the coastal town are bracing for more potential chaos over Easter.

On multiple occasions over the past six months hundreds of youths have descended on the town, gathering to drink and party, sometimes being dropped off and supplied alcohol by their parents.

Witnesses have described mobs of youngsters, some who appeared to be only 12 years old, wreaking havoc on long weekends and leaving destruction in their wake.

Torquay resident Andrew Kelly photographed the aftermath of the last Torquay illegal teen party.

On Australia Day, police were called to reports of brawling as up to 300 teenagers, many bussing in from out of town, partied on the town’s surf beach in an event likely arranged on social media.

The night resulted in both police and paramedics being called and a boy in his mid-teens being taken to hospital.

Multiple police on site at Torquay beach as teens gathered in their hundreds on the Australia Day long weekend.

Labour Day saw wild behaviour at a similar event, according to Torquay resident Andrew Kelly, who was at the scene.

“We thought it would be reasonably benign, given the ages of the children and had a bit of a walk through to see what was happening,” he said.

“What we were confronted with at eight o’clock in the evening was a just mob, a hive of kids swarming around a light.

“There was no entertainment, there was no music. It was just kids, revelling … you couldn’t approach anywhere near them.”

Mr Kelly estimated the children at the party were mainly between the ages of 12 and 16.

“I keep calling them children because that’s all they were,” he said.

Witnesses to both the Labour Day and Australia Day parties stated that parents could be seen dropping teens off and supplying them with alcohol.

A few hours after their initial visit, Mr Kelly and his wife decided to return to try and help those who may have needed it.

“It was out of control. There were, children passed out on the nature strip and in front yards … there were some slumped against fences up side streets,” he said.

“There was one police vehicle, which was surrounded mostly young girls who seemed to be yelling and screaming.”

Andrew Kelly said Torquay residents picked up bags of rubbish in the aftermath of the Labour Day weekend party.

The hill at Torquay’s surf beach has long been a popular party destination for young people on New Year’s Eve, and Mr Kelly said another gathering had taken place on Halloween.

Mr Kelly has called on local leaders to find a solution to the problem, and raised the issue at Surf Coast Shire March meeting.

“I’m no expert and I don’t know what the answer is, but I think it’s better to stop it before it happens than try and deal with the aftermath,” he said.

“These types of things seem to have a habit of being addressed after there’s a tragedy, I’m trying to have it addressed before that.”

Surf Coast local area commander Inspector Monique Leffanue said that police would remain vigilant, and noted at this stage Easter did not look likely to follow the pattern of past long weekends.

“There were a number of gatherings at Torquay beaches earlier this year – some of which involved underage drinking,” she said.

“There is currently no indication of problematic planned mass gatherings in the area this weekend.

“Local police will undertake visible patrols on foot and on roads across Torquay’s popular beach areas this weekend.”

Ms Leffanue said that police were proactive about the gatherings, which were “attended by a large number of students from different schools across the Torquay and Geelong areas”.

There were reports some of the teens were as young as 12 and were dropped off and supplied alcohol by their parents.

In a February statement, Victoria Police stated there had been three beach events in 2023, attended by approximately 100-200 teenagers each.

Following the Labour Day party, Mr Kelly returned to help clean up the aftermath, along with several other Torquay residents.

There were people carrying their dogs, um, over the walkways because of the broken glass,” he said.

“We picked up countless bags of rubbish … it was by no means totally cleaned up and when you looked down onto the beach, there was a significant amount of other rubbish.”

Surf Coast Shire mayor Liz Pattison said the shire would continue to liaise with Victoria Police, government-supported agencies, schools and parents to address the issue.

“Parental responsibility is a crucial factor in ensuring the safety of young people and this

is a key focus of the work of Council and partner organisations,” she said.

“We support the delivery of parent and guardian skills training provided by Drummond Street, Geelong Regional Parenting, and Barwon Child Youth and Family.

“We operate a Youth Lounge in Torquay three nights a week, which attracts up to 60

young people per evening. We also deliver state government-funded programs to

support young people to gain employment, connect with their community, foster youth

arts and music, and support mental health.

Ms Pattison said that the shire was also supporting programs aimed at addressing underage drug and alcohol use.

“Council is also supporting Headspace and Barwon Child Youth and Family to deliver

specialist alcohol and other drug and mental health services in Torquay free of cost to

residents,” she said.

“Ahead of the Easter long weekend and the school holidays, we urge parents and

guardians to provide safe and engaging environments for their children. We encourage

community members to report any suspicious or dangerous activities to Victoria Police

immediately.”

Originally published as Witness describes Torquay teen beach party chaos, fears Easter could bring more wild scenes