Impact signs at killer Bass Coast beaches this summer
IN THE wake of a horrific run of drownings along Bass Coast beaches in recent years, Life Saving Victoria and its partner agencies, including the Bass Coast Shire Council, are stepping it up this summer.
IN THE wake of a horrific run of drownings along Bass Coast beaches in recent years, Life Saving Victoria and its partner agencies, including the Bass Coast Shire Council, are stepping it up this summer.
And the first thing beachgoers will notice when they arrive at often hazardous locations like Cape Woolamai Surf Beach, Kilcunda Beach and Forrest Caves Beach is a series of different warning signs, some with explicit images.
It’s all part of a trial now underway on the Mornington-Peninsula and in Bass Coast of new high-impact water safety signs to warn the public when visiting some of Victoria’s most dangerous beaches.
One of the signs, co-designed by Life Saving Victoria and Monash University and presented to locals in workshops at Berninneit in Cowes last October, using VR headset technology, is especially graphic.
It depicts a middle-aged man in difficulty, in the water, waving his arms with the words “Drowning deaths have occurred here”.
The sign reflects the statistics that males are almost three times more likely than women to drown, with the male age group 25-64 accounting for 40% of all drownings in Victoria in 2024-25.
Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Rochelle Halstead, has welcomed the new initiative.
“These locations are breathtaking but unpredictable. The new signage makes the risks clear and easy to understand, helping people make safer choices before they enter the water. We welcome these upgrades and the detailed research behind them,” Cr Halstead said.
Life Saving Victoria Head of Research, Evaluation and Insights and Monash University Adjunct Associate Professor Dr Bernadette Matthews said the project would play an important role in improving water safety at high-risk beaches.
“Signage is one of many tools we have to prevent drowning and improve water safety. This trial aims to find new ways to effectively communicate the hazards people may face when visiting the beach,” Dr. Matthews said.
Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club President Jason Close, who is involved in the signage trial, welcomed the project reaching this key stage.
“We’ve seen too many fatal drowning incidents occur at these beaches. It’s my hope that this new signage will hit home to people just how dangerous it is to go in the water at these locations,” Mr. Close said.
Bass Coast Shire Council Coordinator Community Safety and Resilience Nick Grant-Collins thanked all involved in the initiative.
“This project has been an important collaborative effort of all land managers and stakeholders on the key issue of water safety in the community,” Mr. Grant-Collins said.
“I encourage visitors to our beaches to heed the warnings on these signs to ensure they keep themselves and their loved ones safe.”
The trial will run in conjunction with the Empowering Local Visitors project, where water safety information sessions and resources will be provided to Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast visitor centres.
This will support centre staff and volunteers to provide vital water safety advice to people visiting these regions and their waterways.
These projects are delivered by Life Saving Victoria and supported by Monash University, Liminal VR, Bass Coast Shire Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, City of Casey Council, Enliven, Belgravia Leisure, Parks Victoria and Phillip Island Nature Parks.
The Coastal Safety Signage Project is funded by the Australian Government through Surf Life Saving Australia’s Beach Drowning Blackspot Reduction Program. The Empowering Local Visitors project is supported by a grant from the Andrews Foundation.
The signage trial will run at:
- Gunnamatta Beach
- Rye 16th Beach
- Mills Beach
- Woolamai Surf Beach
- Kilcunda Beach
- Forrest Caves Beach
The beaches involved in the trial have been the setting for major drowning tragedies in previous years.
In the worst of these incidents, on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, four family members visiting Forrest Caves from Melbourne’s south-east lost their lives in a drowning incident: Jagjeet Singh Anand 23 from Cranbourne, Kirti Bedi 20 from Clyde, Suhani Anand 20 from Cranbourne, and Reema Sondhi 42 from India.
The event prompted a major response by Surf Lifesaving Club members, emergency service personnel and other beachgoers which ultimately ended in tragedy.
The design of the signs has been developed through extensive consultation with local communities, lifesaving clubs, land managers and water safety experts, and have also drawn on elements of homemade safety signage put up at a number of beaches by local residents.
The signs, going up in the next few days, will be installed temporarily over summer to complement the current safety signage. The effectiveness and impact of the signs will be monitored, with the trial results aiming to identify the most effective type of sign to communicate key risks at dangerous beaches.
The new signs feature:
- A clear warning that “Drowning deaths have occurred here”
- The universal hazard symbol
- Key safety messages in multiple languages
- QR codes linking to online translations and further guidance
Life Saving Victoria’s Empowering Local Visitors project, delivered with the support of local lifesaving clubs, also provided training to Phillip Island Visitor Information Centre staff and volunteers, supported by new brochures and collateral.
“These teams, many of whom are volunteers, play a crucial role,” Cr Halstead said.
“Visitors often arrive unfamiliar with local conditions, sometimes following something they’ve seen on social media. This training gives our staff the tools to step in, offer guidance and put safety first.”
In addition to the ongoing local collaboration between Council, Life Saving Victoria, Parks Victoria, Phillip Island Nature Parks, VicPol, Ambulance Victoria, other response agencies and tourism partners, Council has also installed new emergency location markers at beaches across Phillip Island, San Remo, Kilcunda, Cape Paterson and Inverloch.
Eventually these will replace the former “yellow hat” location signs.
Part of a phased roll-out in partnership with other land managers, each marker features a unique six-character alpha-numeric identifier linked directly to Triple Zero Victoria’s Computer-Aided Dispatch system, providing emergency call takers with precise location and access information.
This summer’s campaign builds on three years of collaboration focused on improving understanding of coastal risks, encouraging safer decision-making, and ensuring residents and visitors can easily access vital safety information.
Throughout the peak season, safety messages will appear across local media, social platforms, roadside electronic signs and Destination Phillip Island’s Visitor Guide. Messaging is available in multiple languages, with visitors encouraged to download the Surf Life Saving Australia BeachSafe app.
Safety materials are also being shared with short-stay accommodation providers to help inform guests exploring Bass Coast beaches.
To learn more about our commitment to keeping our community safe in and around the water, including the Bass Coast Mornington Peninsula Cross Council Water Safety Framework, go to basscoast.vic.gov.au/beachsafety
