Alexandria Bay - Noosa, Queensland

[tc1978]

Last week I had some time off and decided to escape from the winter in Melbourne and head up Noosa for some warmth.

I had planned on visiting on going to Alexandria Bay while up there after reading a lot of good reports about the beach.

To get there I walked from my hotel through the Noosa National Park and eventually to the beach. The walk through the National Park was worth it in itself. It's an easy walk. I did it in thongs (or flip flops for non-Aussies). It took me about 45min from the entrance of the National park to get to the beach. Along the walk I was able to see a koala and many different types of birds and a different type of plant life to what we have in around Melbourne.

When I got to the beach I was greeted with an amazing view. Golden sand and a turquoise sea. There was a gentle breeze blowing, which did eventually become a little too cold. I could see a few nudists towards the southern end of the beach, so I headed towards them and set up my towel.

It is one of the best beaches I have ever been to, and not just nude beaches. At one point I saw a sea eagle overhead with a fish in its talons.

Sadly the breeze got a bit too cold so I had to dress and head back to the hotel.

If you're ever in the Noosa area and have some spare time, I suggest going to this beach. Alexandria Bay is marked on the local tourist maps, with the different walks in the National Park showing how to get there.

Two things to note if you do go to Alexandria Bay:
1.   It is not a legal nude beach. So there is a chance that you could have some issue with the law. I haven't read about anything this happening. Danee tells me that some other forum users go there often, so maybe you could post a reply and let us all know how it is, if it is at all, policed.
2.   There are signs up around the beach warning of strong currents. So be aware if you are going to have a dip.

It is simply a beautiful beach.

[tc1978]

Danee asked that I post some pics from the beach, so here they are:


The Noosa National Park.


Part of Alexandria Bay Beach.


The eagle with the fish in its talons. You'll have to trust me on that one!

I thought I had more photos, but I don't.

Search for Alexandria Bay & Noosa for more images and reviews.

[Leah]

My favorite beach in the whole world!

But as stated don't over estimate your ability in the surf - this is a dangerous place in the water

[Hamish]

Here is a picture I took of Alexandria Bay. Not the weather for nudity on this day though.

[Dario Western]

Hey tc1978,

I am one of the forummers who goes to Alex Bay occasionally.  I've been going there since 1991 and I have never run into any trouble with the police there.  In fact, the police do not have any problems with the nudists there and the nudists co-operate with them to report any perverted behaviour or emergencies.

It is a very beautiful looking beach, but it's the hardest one to get to because of the steep walk back up the cliffs to McAnally Drive.  There are also no facilities or anything else there, so bring your own drinks and food there.  Stay out of the dune areas because they are suffering from erosion and you can cop a fine if the police or the forest rangers catch you in there.

[Danee]

Hey tc1978,

I am one of the forummers who goes to Alex Bay occasionally.  I've been going there since 1991 and I have never run into any trouble with the police there.  In fact, the police do not have any problems with the nudists there and the nudists co-operate with them to report any perverted behaviour or emergencies.

It is a very beautiful looking beach, but it's the hardest one to get to because of the steep walk back up the cliffs to McAnally Drive.  There are also no facilities or anything else there, so bring your own drinks and food there.  Stay out of the dune areas because they are suffering from erosion and you can cop a fine if the police or the forest rangers catch you in there.

To be honest though, you can walk in from the parking lot from Noosa. Its a long walk but a nice one.

[tc1978]

I walked from the car park at the national park, through the national park to the beach. As Danee said, it's a long walk, but a nice one. Well worth it. It's an easy walk. I found the estimate times on the information boards to be way over what the walk actually took.

[Toddo]

Great news Tim. One beach I'll be sure to get to one day. Thanks for the report.

[Danee]

It's one of Queensland's most well known unofficial nudist beaches - it's Alexandria Bay or for short A-Bay at Noosa's National Park on the Sunshine Coast. And with summer now here, the plan to install surveillance cameras is causing concern among nudists.

A Surf Life Saving Queensland trial of beach cameras on the Gold Coast is fast approaching its end - and with success of the trial A-Bay has been earmarked as one of the first problem beaches in Queensland to have cameras installed.

But naturists who frequent the unofficial nudist beach are concerned about the plan.

Mark Hayter from Freebeach Australia says the cameras will be an invasion of privacy.

"I'd like to think that it would work but i have my doubts about the cameras because Alex bay is nearly a kilometre long and I don't know where you'd put the cameras and the other thing that does worry me is that there are women and children on these beaches that do go nude - and although 99 percent of of life savers are genuinely good people, it only takes one that could misuse the Privacy Act.

"And the other thing that concerns me is that Noosa and Sunshine Beach is at least twenty minutes for the life savers to get there - now the camera will see you drowning but the camera will not swim out and save you," says Mark.

Sunshine Coast Life Saving Services coordinator Aaron Purchase says there have been 28 drownings on the Sunshine Coast in the past eleven years, 26 of which have been at northern beaches - the last drowning at Alex Bay was in 2008 and there have been three people who have lost their lives at Alexandria Bay since 2003.

Mr Purchase says a permanent surf patrol isn't on the cards at the dangerous beach due to budget restraints.

He says footage from the surveillance cameras would be kept for a period of two weeks and only handled by key personnel - he says privacy would be respected.

"our aim is to save lives," says Mr Purchase.

Although currently is talks with representatives from the Sunshine Coast Council - he says public approval is not needed to install the cameras.

"We don't want to prejudice any swimmers - but we do want to make the beach safe for everyone who wants to use it," says Mr Purchase.

The rollout of surveillance cameras at A-Bay is expected within six-months.

From: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/10/19/3042754.htm

[Leah]

This has me really torn - everytime I've been to Alex someone has been rescued by either a surfer or a helicopter, so I understand where SLSQ are coming from.  But the technical difficulty is not where would you put the cameras but how do they move around to match the rips and currents with the changing tide and wind directions.

Then how do you get a response from the Lifeguards in a reasonable time.  Even by jetski/personal watercraft the lifeguards are at least 10 minutes away once called to a situation where a 30 second response is required.

I can see money being tied up so the lifeguards can chase shadows.

[chado]

By the way, does anyone know about legal consequences for being nude in public? (Queensland)

[Dario Western]

Yes.  Technically nudity is legal in Queensland as long as the genitals are covered.  It is legal for a female to be nude publicly, but not a male.  However, the police tend to like to twist laws to their own advantage when we've had the WNBRs in Queensland.  I don't know why they just can't lighten up, there are far more important things to worry about like vehicle accidents, vandalism, drink driving and other stuff that causes more endangerment to people's lives than non-sexual public nudity. 

[Danee]

Free beach ball passed around

AND so the buck-passing about getting around in the buff at Noosa’s
Alexandria Bay goes on.

The naked truth of the ongoing saga of whether or not to declare this
area an official “free” beach is that people like local naturalist
Mark Hayter are tired of breaking the law every time they want to have
a secluded swim sans swimmers.

Although it appears the State Government, local council officers,
police and lifesavers have turned a blind eye to his “criminal”
activity, this is not good enough for Mr Hayter.

“A-Bay” hosts the annual “nude Olympics” each March and has been
Queensland’s unofficial nude beach for more than 25 years, but no
authority is owning up to having the power to strip bare the dress
code there.

A Sunshine Coast council spokeswoman said a decision on A-Bay’s
bathing status needed to be made by Queensland’s Parks and Wildlife
Services.

“Council has no position on the decision to use Alexandria Bay as a
nude beach. This is a State Government decision,” the spokeswoman
said.

However, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service general manager
terrestrial parks Annie Moody said it was a council decision.

“Up to the dunes and back in is national park and the Nature
Conservation Act applies,” Ms Moody said.

“We have no jurisdiction over the beach and that is a council
decision.”

Mayor Bob Abbot said he had “no concern what happens at A-Bay”, but he
was not prepared to declare it a free beach as it would require
“significant support”.

“It’s a difficult beach to service and we’re not prepared to provide
the extra service,” he said.

Member for Noosa Glen Elmes said he took the view that A-Bay “is an
unofficial (free beach), everyone knows it’s there” and he was happy
to “leave sleeping dogs lie” when it came to policing the beach.

However, Mr Elmes was “dead against” making it an official free beach.

“The day you make it official, there will be another plea to make
another one official,” he said.

“We will get more applications from different groups in different
parts of the state and this is not the sort of thing we wish to
project as a state. We’re better off leaving it as it is.”

Cr Vivien Griffin said while she would need to consider the
circumstances, she believed it was time a decision was made.

“I’d need to look at the issues around it before making a decision,
but I support it getting sorted. It gets passed around each year.”

Mr Hayter believes none of these responses were good enough.

“It’s annoying that they pass the buck here, there and everywhere,” he
said.

“It’s very frustrating as it is such hypocrisy. They’re burying their
head in the sand.

“We got permission from (former Premier) Peter Beattie, this was
honoured by Anna Bligh who said the council should make an
application. All Bob (Abbot) has to do is get off his bum and make it
legal,” Mr Hayter said.

From: http://www.noosanews.com.au/story/2011/02/04/free-beach-ball-passed-around-alexandria-bay/

[Leah]

With the October long weekend we had a family reunion in Noosa over the past week, but today was the first day of really good weather so a few of us did make it to Alexandria Bay and it was fabulous, Small surf, warm water and a good crowd - but the best part was no one in our group was the youngest naked person on the beach.

There were at least ten teenagers on the beach and I felt so good not being a youngster in the middle of more than fifty retirees.

Little view of the beach below - will be at Byron/Belongil on Thursday and will provide a report

[Dario Western]

You should've told some of us QLD'ers about it - I'd have loved to have come along because I'd really love to meet some of the local members of this community.  :)