It’s a long-standing beachside tradition, but Mornington Peninsula is calling time
For decades, the Mornington Peninsula shoreline has doubled as free storage for dinghies, kayaks and small catamarans, giving their owners quick and easy access to the water.
But those days are ending as the shire moves to ban boat owners from informally storing their vessels on the beach.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire is warning that unregistered boats will be impounded if they are not collected. Credit: Joe Armao
The move has sparked outrage from some boaties and residents, who say the practice is harmless and has persisted so long it has become part of local culture. But the council maintains leaving boats on the sand can damage sensitive dunes and many people abandon their boats once they no longer have any use for them.
The ban does not apply to everyone. Owners will be allowed to register and keep small watercraft on the beach if they need to reach bigger boats tied to moorings they have rented in the water.
However, vessels stored informally on the foreshore for the sole purpose of using them in the bay will be considered unauthorised and removed if unclaimed. These include dinghies, kayaks, windsurfers, stand-up paddleboards and catamarans.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire said that between December 2022 and October 2023, 129 impound notices were issued and 85 watercraft were removed from the beach in Sorrento, the council’s first focus area. The council recorded 400 watercraft on the Sorrento foreshore before it began its sweep of the area and there are now 66 registered watercraft.
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Sarah Race at the Cutting in Portsea. Credit: Joe Armao
Impounded craft are stored for at least 30 days, and then destroyed if unclaimed. The council is conducting a similar program in Portsea, where it has issued 100 impound notices since December and received 50 registrations.
Mornington Peninsula councillor Sarah Race said dumping boats on the sand prevented coastal grass growth, which could exacerbate erosion. “There’s a lot of biodiversity loss because the grass gets killed off,” she said.
Race said leaving boats in public space also presented a health and safety risk. But when asked if the council’s policy limited boating to people with the means to have a boat and hire a mooring, Race said there had to be some constraints on the use of public space.
“Imagine if everybody just put their boats down here. Would there be space for everyone? Imagine how many things we’d have littered down here.”
A confiscation notice. Credit: Joe Armao
She said community feedback had been positive and there were fewer boats “rotting on the beach”.
But Blairgowrie resident Andrea Allen lashed the decision, saying many people left small boats on the beach because it was unrealistic to tow them each time they wanted to launch into the water.
“People have been doing it since the 1970s,” Allen said. “They don’t detract from the area, and they add to the character.”
She agreed it was reasonable to remove boats that had clearly been abandoned, but argued there were plenty of sections along the beaches where they would not bother anyone else.
Wayne Mercer (left) and John Adamson. Credit: Joe Armao
“A lot of them have padlocks. They’re definitely not dumped there.”
Wayne Mercer said he was privileged to be able to store his two dinghies on the beach because he had moorings for his catamaran and putt-putt boat. But he said it was unfair that boat users without a mooring were banned from storing their boats on the foreshore.
“You can’t be there unless you’re privileged and have a mooring,” he said.
Mercer said he had been leaving boats on the beach since he was a teenager: “I don’t see any history of a lot of vegetation being destroyed or people falling over boats.”
Boats moored at Blairgowrie beach. Credit: Joe Armao
The Whitecliffs to Camerons Bight Foreshore Reserve Committee of Management, which manages Blairgowrie beach foreshore, is also removing unauthorised watercraft.
Rye resident John Adamson had for years kept his catamaran on the beach at Blairgowrie, which he used to go sailing most days when the weather was warm. He said it was impractical to use the boat ramp in peak periods because it was so full.
“There’s a lot of anger at the boat ramp as people to try to get their boats in or out of the water,” he said.
Adamson said he had battled numerous health issues, including cardiac arrest and mental health challenges, and sailing helped him cope.
“Not being able to sail has been very triggering for me.”
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