You won’t miss this warning sign

VISITORS to Bass Coast’s most dangerous surf beaches are likely to see something completely different about the warning signs being trialled around the coast this summer.

There’ll be the same’ol signs featuring literally dozens of logos about no horses, no dogs, no campfires, no camping, no littering, unstable cliffs, submerged objects, strong currents and swimming not advised.

But, we’re told by officials from Life Saving Victoria and Monash University, who conducted several community co-design signage workshops last week in an effort to prevent drownings, that a new graphic sign will be used this summer.

The sign features a young male caught in a rip, waving frantically for assistance, with the slogan “people have drowned here” serving as a warning to beachgoers.

Too much? You’ll be the judge when the signs are posted this year with Life Saving Victoria and its local partners, the Bass Coast Shire Council, Parks Victoria and Phillip Island Nature Parks welcoming your feedback.

Local people were invited to attend the workshops, which featured the use of a virtual reality headset and a survey to identify which signage the participants believed would be most effective in a given location and whether it would impact behaviour.

The study aims to improve coastal water safety at high-risk locations in Victoria, including the Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast.

“The goal is to reduce the number of drownings at these locations by increasing public awareness of drowning risk and promoting safe behaviours.”

This project has received funding through the Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) Beach Drowning Blackspot Reduction Program 2024-2026 supported by the Australian Government.

It follows the tragic drowning of six people on Bass Coast beaches in the summer of 2023-24, including four members of one family at Forrest Caves in January 2024.