From my experience and from a lot of feedback I’ve heard and read from Sunnyside regulars, access to the beach seems to be an ongoing issue; because, yes, it does lack that adequate infrastructure to make it more easily accessible.
As naturists, safety and security on our beaches is a priority. Unfortunately, our beaches are often neglected, isolated and difficult to access…making it difficult to patrol and tend to.
With Sunnyside’s super narrow and rocky path that is not easy to traverse at times, I can see why police might have difficulty effectively patrolling the beach at times. So, if safety is a major concern for the Council and the local police (just like it is for us naturists too), shouldn’t we consider implementing the infrastructure needed to make the beach more easily accessible for those ‘regular patrols’? If this can help police to monitor the beach more effectively, wouldn’t improved infrastructure be a course of action to seriously consider, rather than just seeking to revoke the CO status which fails to address the specific concerns outlined by the Council (as pictured above)? Regardless of whether or not Sunnyside retains its CO status, shouldn’t the safety of all beach-goers (clothed or not) be a priority for the council anyway?
At the end of the day, us naturists would like the Council to know that we, too, value having safe beaches to enjoy…even more so because it’s not like we can just go and get naked on any stretch of beach, not even the one just a few hundred meters away from the one we’re currently enjoying. No. We have so few options to choose from when it comes to enjoying a beach clothes-free; and so we do not take these threats lightly.
Whilst, unfortunately, inappropriate behaviour can occur on any beach (textile or clothing-optional), when the reputation of our clothing-optional beaches are compromised by ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by those who have a misguided perception, it jeopardises the status of the very few and limited beaches we have available for us to enjoy non-sexual nudity. We (naturists), if anyone, have more to lose and, thus, more motivation to keep our beaches safe; and so we urge the Council to consider working with the local naturist community and local police to keep this beach a safe place for all…naturists, locals and textiles alike.
Locals want ‘their’ beach back…but there is still plenty of Sunnyside Beach left for them
As for the ‘local’ argument, it’s important to keep in mind that only 500 meters of the northern end (and the much more isolated part of and not-so-easy-to-get-to end) of Sunnyside Beach is designated clothing-optional. Just south of the CO section and right in front of the car park (where it’s just steps to the textile beach and not some 250 meter rocky path you need to traverse) is, what do you know, Sunnyside Beach! A great place locals can enjoy ‘their’ beach…without being surrounded by naked people or having to compete for space on the sand with a heap of rocks.
With Sunnyside North (the CO section) being a rather isolated beach which is super discreet and not at all obvious, it is not one of those beaches that textiles just unknowingly stumble across and get offended over. You have to trek to get to the CO section…and it is marked with very clear signage…in the car park, and at both ends of the beach! So if you end up there, it’s more than likely because you wanted to!
One of the downsides I found at Sunnyside (which were few and far between) was that the beach, itself, is full of rocks. I mean, on this particular day I went, I had trouble finding a patch of sand where I could lay my towel down without laying on some part of a rock! I would also say that the fact that the foreshore was also lined with a plethora of sharp rocks means that it may not be as child-friendly as the textile section of the beach. Plus, it’s nowhere near as convenient a beach to get to and enjoy as the one right in front of the car park!!!
So please, let us have our section of beach where we’re not offending anyone.
Victoria’s not-so-promising history with nude beaches
Going off of a not-so-far-away history, having similarly attained it’s former clothing-optional status in 1986, the revocation of the clothing-optional status of Campbell Cove back on 1 September 2015, under the same and current Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne MP, serves to act as a stark reminder of a history that hasn’t gone in the favour of the naturist community previously. So, of course, you can understand that, for the many Sunnyside regulars, the looming threat is very real.
With previous sentiment over the revocation of the clothing-optional status of Campbell Cove reflecting that of “Campbells Cove offered a privacy to bathers which simply isn’t available any more, with more families moving to the area.” We know that Sunnyside does not, at all, reflect a similar sentiment as it is very private and is discreetly situated. We know that there is still a generous amount of Sunnyside Beach left for locals to enjoy (the much more convenient, beach-friendly and accessible part too); and all whilst the clothing-optional section remains private and out-of-the-way so that there are no surprises for textile bathers. So, many of us are left wondering what the real motive is behind this recent decision to review and lobby for the removal of its CO status.
