Authorities have re-opened vehicle access to a Torquay nudist beach notorious for lewd behaviour.
The dirt road to Point Impossible Nudist Beach had re-opened “in time for the Melbourne Cup long weekend”, the Great Ocean Road Coast Committee said.
“Slippery” conditions and “deep mud” forced closure of the unsealed section of Tip Road during winter, the committee said.
The road re-opened this week but would be subject to minor closures after the long weekend to allow further grading and resurfacing ahead of “the summer peak season”.
Committee coastal reserves manager Caleb Hurrell thanked “the public for (its) patience and understanding”.
In June 2007 councillors wrote to the planning minister seeking the removal of the beach’s clothing-optional status, which residents had linked to ongoing instances of lewd behaviour in the area. The then-minister Rob Hulls told council to seek community feedback on the revocation plan before seeking his approval.
A community workshop the following year heard concerns about men meeting in the dunes for sex but opted for other control measures, such as police patrols and fencing, rather than removal of the nudism status.
