Does the Glenelg dry zone work? Council, beachgoers and locals respond to Goers column

Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers left no stone unturned in his criticism of the popular Moseley Beach Club. But what do beachgoers and locals think of dry zone rules?

Glenelg’s Jetty Rd was put under dry zone restrictions last week. Picture: Ben Clark

• Goers: Dry zone’s arrant hypocrisy

Allowing an outdoor beach bar to continue operating while Glenelg’s dry zone has just been hugely extended is a “contradiction”, the local residents group says – and at the very least they want it to provide its own toilets.

Holdfast Bay Residents Alliance president Maurice Dunstall said he did not want to see the Moseley Beach Club closed, but better regulated.

“I think there is a contradiction with the dry zone, but ultimately, we want the beach to be a family-friendly, smoke-free and safe place,” he said.

Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers has criticised Holdfast Bay Council and the state government for allowing a licensed venue to operate in the dry zone – but not allowing beachgoers to bring their own beverages. Picture: Dean Martin

“We want to see the same rules apply as every other venue in SA – having toilets, better hygiene – yet somehow people aren’t allowed to drink 25 metres down the beach.”

The beach bar first opened in 2018 and operates from December to March.

This year it will be allowed to operate within the bounds of a dry zone that includes not only the beach, Moseley Square and Colley and Wigley reserves but now the entire length of Jetty Rd and a block either side of it.

That extension, ultimately approved by Consumer and Business Affairs Minister Andrea Michaels, was announced in October in response to community and police concerns over anti-social behaviour at the Bay.

In his Sunday Mail column, Glenelg local Peter Goers rails against the beach club, the only venue permitted to sell alcohol for sit-down consumption on the beach.

Goers calls it “arrant hypocrisy” that beachgoers who bring alcoholic drinks from home could be fined up to $1250, while those also on the sand but at the beach club could not.

“You can go to the Moseley Beach Club … and spend a fortune on cocktails in coconut shells and that’s perfectly legal,” he said.

“If you step out of the beach bar enclosure holding a drink you are in a dry zone and are breaking the law. I’ve seen this happen frequently and no-one, to my knowledge, has been fined.”

Goers says given the lack of public toilets nearby, the beach club’s patrons have been seen urinating and defacating under the jetty.

Moseley Beach Club’s directors declined to comment.

Aerial shot of the Moseley Beach Club at Glenelg. Picture: Supplied

A map of the new dry zone area, which now permanently includes parts that were previously only enforced on New Year’s Eve. Picture: Holdfast Bay Council

A Holdfast Bay Council spokeswoman said the beach club had increased visitation to Glenelg, with 26 per cent of bookings made by international tourists.

“The operator is required to meet all obligations under their liquor licence,” she said.

She said council the operator had paid the council $53,000 for the site during the last summer season.

The venue is responsible for its own site repairs but the council charges a fee for assistance if available, she said.

At Glenelg on Saturday, Ruby McLaughlan, 22, said the Beach Club was a big reason for making regular trips with friends to Adelaide from Mildura.

Mildura friends Ruby McLaughlan, Lola Colling, Holly McGlashan and Laney Blake at Glenelg beach. Picture: Brett Hartwig

But Ms McLaughlan said she thought BYO alcohol consumption on the beach could be managed if restricted to certain hours.

“It’s like how you have dog-walking times in certain parks and areas,” she said.

“But at the Beach Club, you have security and bartenders are meant to responsibly serve alcohol. If you let people drink on the beach, what’s stopping a 16-year-old from taking something from his dad’s cabinet and just coming down?”

On the expanded dry zone, Ms Michaels said: “Locals reported feeling unsafe and businesses said they were being negatively impacted by behaviour”.

Read Peter Goers’ full column here.

Originally published as Does the Glenelg dry zone work? Council, beachgoers and locals respond to Goers column