Qld to finally get official nude beach

May 2008

Queensland looks set to finally catch up with the rest of Australia and get its first official nude beach.

All states and territories except Queensland have had designated clothing-optional beaches since South Australia declared the first, Maslin Beach near Adelaide, in 1975.

The Sunshine Coast has an unofficial nude beach in a national park area at Alexandria Bay, but enthusiasts have long lobbied for a legal beach.

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and newly-elected Sunshine Coast Mayor Bob Abbot have announced they will not oppose a submission from the Free Beaches Association, calling for one of three proposed beaches to be made clothing-optional.

Association secretary Anita Grigg said the preferred beach was Mudjimba, in a secluded area north of Maroochydore.

Ms Grigg said nudists had been discriminated against, while other interest groups, like dog owners, were given large tracts of beach to use.

"In all areas that we as nudists have tried to find a little quiet spot where we could sunbake nude and mind our own business ... we have been persecuted," she told AAP.

The beach would attract not only 500 local enthusiasts, but tourists from interstate and overseas, particularly the US and Europe, Ms Grigg said.

The group's Nude Olympics draws about 600 people annually, but that number could double with a legal beach.

"Tourists from overseas ring up and when we say we don't have a beach that's legal they say, 'we don't want to be locked up'," Ms Grigg said.

"We are losing huge amounts of tourism US dollars."

Ms Bligh said she was happy to work with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

"If they decide to go ahead with it and they require any state laws to change then I'm happy to work with the council to make that possible," she said.

"Frankly this is not everybody's cup of tea but I do think that most people would prefer that this sort of activity is conducted on a private beach away from families and away from people who don't want to see that sort of thing on their beaches."

Ms Bligh said she appreciated the council was trying to strike a balance between families' needs and a niche tourism market, but did not want to see nude beaches cropping up across the Queensland coastline.

"I don't understand it myself, but I accept that there are some people, not just locally but from around the world, who seek out these sorts of opportunities," she said.

hi all. i was just reading a post in one of the nudsit groups that i am in and it looks like QLD is on its way to having its first legal nude beach with the lastest fight from the Free Beach Assiocation. with the recent win for a nudist charged with willful exposure http://www.thedaily .com.au/news/ 2008/apr/ 29/nudists- exposure- charge-dism
issed/
the FBA has relaunched its plea to the government to have a beach classed as legal status in QLD and it looks prommising. have a read of this article for more information http://www.smh. com.au/news/ news/nudists- push-for- exposure/ 2008/05/07/ 1210131120362. html 

what gets me is that good old Alexandria Bay a long time unofficial nude beach has not had much of a mention for the first legal beach mainly due to the access to the beach and limited parking.

there are plenty more links to this story but its easier to google it than place them here.

seeya micheal

Hey Michael,

That's really great to hear. It's time that all beaches around the world  accept  nudity. 

Hi Ron,

"All beaches"? What about the kiddies that frequent most beaches? I think we need to keep the nudity discrete.

Culebron

Hello Culebron,

okay i agree, i wasn't thinking when i posted that ....but i am sure that there would be some beaches that would accept the family and some families who live the nudist lifestyle. I have even seen pictures where there  will be a nudist family on the beach and in the backround others not nude.. i think it depends on how the child is raised... i know my mother would be for it, while my father would be totally  against it.  I got my nudism from my mother. My father would always get a  little testy about my mother running around in the buff, while we were home and she would just shoot back... "my lord  it's human nature why be ashamed?"  Lol.  My mom still runs around in the nude.  My father, bless his heart... just pays her no mind now..lol.