Maslin's Beach
Media reports at the time of the proclamation indicate that the beach had a long history of use as an unofficial nude beach, but that those who did so were breaking the law.
In his last blog post, Beachless Summer, Wild Swimmer lamented the fact that the South Australian algal bloom might mean no skinny dips at Maslin's this summer.
You may not know it but, this year, the officially nude/clothing optional part of Maslin's Beach, south of Adelaide, celebrated a big birthday. Fifty years ago, on 14 February 1975 the then-Premier Don Dunstan, in an Australian first, gave the people of South Australia a cheeky Valentine's Day gift when his government proclaimed that part of the beach was 'reserved ... for the purpose of clad and unclad bathing.' You can see for yourself the rather inconspicuous and dourly drafted proclamation that as it was printed on page 507 of the South Australian Government Gazette published on 13 February 1975.
Media reports at the time of the proclamation indicate that the beach had a long history of use as an unofficial nude beach, but that those who did so were breaking the law. This law reform obviously freed up police and court resources to focus on more important matters.
You can read here about the birthday bash.
This has made me think about Maslin's and about what makes it such a special place. Is it the beautiful ochre-colours in the cliffs cliffs that seem to glow in the late afternoon sun or is it the bay that gently curves toward the white rocks at Blanche Point? Or is it something more?
For me, it's the fact that not very far from a large modern city, characterised by a reliance on car travel, there is a small section of coast that is also large enough so that you can feel secluded far away from the worries of the rest of the world.
It may well be a beachless summer, but I think I will still sneak down at some point to see how things are faring at Adelaide's best beach. Who's in?
