Demons Bluff Beach Closure Made Permanent For Public’s Safety

In partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and Parks Victoria, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (the Authority) has determined that the temporary beach closure at Demons Bluff, Anglesea will be made permanent.  

The decision is based on the significant public safety risks landslides pose along this section of cliffed coastline. The cliffs in this area have large tension cracks in the order of 50 metres in length and two metres in depth, indicating further failures are inevitable.

An exclusion zone has been set from 100-metres north of the Anglesea Family Caravan Park beach access ramp to 300-metres past Grinders Point. The Authority has also installed fencing along the clifftop and is delivering revegetation programs to help reduce the risk to the public in these areas.

Permanent signage will be installed onsite to inform users of the exclusion zone, and several ongoing management actions will continue at the site, including:

• the continued relocation of the Surf Coast Walk inland away from the cliff edge as erosion encroaches landward
• regular geotechnical investigation
• ongoing monitoring including site visits, aerial imagery analysis and drone surveys.

Landslips are unpredictable and can occur without warning. The size of material that falls onto the beach can be very large, with rocks and debris a potentially fatal hazard. Like all coastal environments, these cliffs are subject to dynamic weather events and prone to cracking, erosion and landslips.

The Authority urges the community to adhere to the closure and avoid the area for their safety. Alternative nearby beaches include Anglesea, Point Roadknight and Point Addis.

Quote attributable to Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority Acting Director Planning, Strategy and Transition, Paul Jane

“This is a naturally occurring event happening right along our coastline. We’re urging all beach users to remain on designated tracks and not walk below the cliffs.”