Nudists can continue to swim in the buff at Werribee South beach for now, with the state government yet to make a decision on whether to revoke the beach’s clothing-optional status.
Last June, Wyndham council wrote to then- planning minister Matthew Guy asking him to revoke the right of visitors to bathe in the nude at Campbells Cove.
The council wants to force visitors to keep their bathers on, believing the beach is not as secluded as it used to be. But 12 months on, the government is yet to make a decision on the council’s request.
A spokeswoman for Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the request was under review by the Environment, Land, Water and Planning Department.
Once the department has assessed the request, it will be passed to Mr Wynne for consideration.
The council’s request is backed by the Ratepayers of Werribee South group, which raised concerns about the beach in 2013. The group feels that having a nudist beach in Werribee South is no longer appropriate given the area’s population growth.
But nudists have accused the council of ignoring their rights.
A spokesman for Solar West, a group that organises nude swimming nights around Melbourne, said having a clothing-optional beach at Werribee South was ideal.
Campbells Cove is one of only four official clothing-optional beaches in Victoria. The others are Sunnyside North at Mount Eliza and Point Impossible and Southside at Torquay.
“Having a clothing-optional beach relatively close to the city is a good thing,” the Solar West spokesman said.
“It makes it easier to get to, and access to this particular beach can also be seen as disabled friendly.”
This is the second time the council has tried to revoke the beach’s status.
In 2007, an attempt to make beachgoers cover up failed to gain the support of the government.
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