Free Beaches Australia Inc

Although we have about 20 legal nude beaches throughout Australia, and many more that are unofficially condoned by the authorities, there are never any guarantees. In the past we have seen high profile legal nude beaches such as Reef Beach in Sydney Harbour closed due to pressure from local objectors. You can help prevent this by following the prompts in the list below and vote against the proposed closures.

Little Congwong Beach, Sydney, Southside
Read what the New South Wales Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water said in response to our correspondence. Reply in PDF format

Miners Beach - near Port Macquarie
Miners Beach is an unofficial nude beach near Port Macquarie, NSW. (Lighthouse NP). At the end of 2003 the council built a boardwalk from the nearby textile beach and now people walk through the NP via the nude beach. The council has recently erected signs saying "If nudists offend contact police".

We are therefore close to losing yet another unofficial nude beach in NSW (Little Conwong Beach" has suffered the same problems). I have been alerted to the website of a magazine that is running a poll as to whether to keep a nude beach at Miners Beach or not. The website address is http://www.focusmag.com.au

We need all nudists to go to the site. On the left at the bottom of the article is a poll. Click on this and vote "yes" to keep the nude beach. We need your help with this NOW!

Proposed new C/O Beach in East Gippsland - please record your vote.
It has been proposed that a small secluded section of the Ninety Mile Beach be proclaimed a ‘Clothing Optional Beach’. The proposal was put to the Ninety Mile Beach Tourism Development Group and it was given total support. It was also supported by the Regional Tourism body for the Wellington Shire in which the 90 Mile Beach is located. It has been through Council and is waiting for an exact location before being finalised. The site will be between Golden Beach and Seaspray.
The Ninety Mile Beach Tourism Development Group Inc has provided an opinion sampler to help gauge current public opinion on this proposal. To record your vote go to http://www.ninetymilebeach.com and click on the button ‘Proposed Clothing Optional Beach’.

In Queensland, we never stop lobbying our Government for legal nude beaches. However, in the other states and territories of Australia naturists have become complacent. The very existence of our legal clothes optional beaches is today threatened by greedy developers, religious wowsers (the vocal minority) and by people who engage in illegal sexual behaviour on our beaches.

Campbells Cove and Pt Impossible beaches in Victoria, which have been legal beaches since 1983 are threatened at present.

In December 1983 Victorian naturists enjoy their first legal nude day at Pt Impossible.

At Campbells Cove developers have promised $2 million to upgrade boatsheds, toilets, roads etc. BUT they don’t want to include naturists in their plans. They say the beach is not used much by naturists but is used instead for sexual purposes. The Wyndham City Council propose to write to the Minister for Planning requesting that he revoke Campbells Cove’s status under the Nudity (Prescribed Areas) Act 1983.

Campbells Cove is not the best clothing optional beach. There is no sand, facilities such as toilets have been lacking and maintenance on the road has not been done in the past.

It is not a desirable beach for nudist families and naturist tourists to go to. However the FBA is reluctant to lose ANY legal CO beaches, even this one. We need to make sure that they don’t take away the legal status of this beach and that improvements are for the shared use by both textiles AND nudists.

The FBA has a new representative in Victoria, Sue. She will be co-ordinating the FBA fight against closure of this legal clothing optional beach in Victoria.

What I would suggest first of all are letters to the Mayor of Wyndham City Council, Cr. Bourke, and also to Honourable Rod Hulls MP, Minister for Planning & Recreation, Victorian State Parliament. He can be contacted by writing to:

Hon Rob Hulls
Attorney General & Minister for Planning
Level 17, 8 Nicholson St
East Melbourne Vic 3002

Then when the weather is warmer members must get to the beaches and use them. I know Sue would like to organize a clean up of litter at Campbells Cove beach in the warmer months and perhaps some beach days there and at the three other legal CO beaches as well. We would hope that nudists/naturists in Victoria, whether they be members of the FBA, members of nudist clubs in Victoria or just naturist beach users, will support Sue and go to the planned events and just use the beaches for non sexual nude activities.

Now Pt Impossible is under threat as well. The Surf Coast Council recently resolved to request the Minister (Rob Hulls) of the Department of Sustainability and Environment to revoke the legal status of Point Impossible Beach as per Section 2 of the Nudity (Prescribed Areas) Act, 1983 and to have police monitor Southside during summer with a view to a similar request in the future if there are any reports of sexual behaviour at that beach.

This means that 3 out of the 4 legal clothing optional beaches in Victoria are under threat of being lost. So don’t take your legal nude beaches for granted! Fight for them and fight for your naturist lifestyle.

Maslin Beach has also been having problems with some people pressing for the revoking of its legal nude bathing status. This is Australia's first legal clothing optional beach having been declared in February 1975. It would be disastrous to have it revert back to clothed only usage.

Some of the regulars are forming a group called the MAN group 'Maslin Association of Naturists'. They are looking for volunteers to help patrol the beach to control inappropriate behaviour. If you think you can help you should go to Southern United Naturists and contact them for more information.