Seaford Beach
Seaford Foreshore beach is popular among locals and less known to visitors. This hidden gem is a 4.6 kilometre coastal strip of beach, where you can walk from one end to the other, and is one of only a few extensive areas of relatively untouched dune vegetation remaining in Victoria.
It is quieter than the nearby Frankston beach and attracts a greater number of families who prefer the more natural setting of a bush reserve that runs the length of the beach.
It features a boardwalk which extends for about 100 metres from Nepean Highway to the beach at the Seaford Road intersection, improving access for walkers, wheelchairs and prams. There is a 150 m long pier and the Seaford Life Saving Clubhouse includes a cafe overlooking Port Phillip Bay.
Swimming - The beach is relatively safe under calm and low wave conditions, with only the deeper water in the rip holes and between the bars providing a problem for children and non-swimmers. The biggest danger is the pier, as people have been injured by jumping off it and landing on the shallow bar crests.
The beach is located only 250 m west of the Seaford railway station.
The beach has a General Beach Hazard Rating of 3/10 (Least hazardous).
Review:
There is a sealed car park next to the beach which has 4 hour ticketed parking from 8am - 8pm. The cost is $3 per hr with a maximum of $12. Seaford Village shops are only a two minute walk away and Seaford train station which has free parking is about 250m away.
Next to the car park is a small grassy area with two picnic tables, 3 BBQs, unshaded seats and a lovely ornamental metal gateway to pass through. This was inspired by the Seaford Hermit who lived for about 20 years in the ti-trees to the south of Seaford Road. He was reported to have been in charge of a vessel that accidently sank with the loss of many lives. Assuming moral responsibility from this tragedy, Maddox decided to remove himself from polite society and eke out an austere existence in the dunes. Here, he constructed what can only be described as a fantasy world of shells, bottles and driftwood. Maddox refused to beg; instead, he exchanged fresh fish and basic labour for foodstuffs often baked especially for him by the local housewives. Sadly, vandals destroyed his home in 1917 while he was in hospital with the pneumonia which eventually killed him.
Artist Jacki Staude was commissioned to create a work inspired by the hermit's story. Entitled Hermitage it takes the form of wrought-iron folly, marking the entrance to the picnic area in the Seaford Pier Precinct. The metallic archway contains stylised forms, including bottles and anchors, which are evocative of Maddox's sanctuary.
The gravel path starting from this point passes through the trees parallel the beach and has side branches to reach the beach.
The beach is nice and sandy and quite narrow. There is a fence blocking access to the dunes. The sandy beach stretches as far as you can see to the north and south.
At the northern end of the beach is a pier. At the end of the pier there is a bench seat and two metal ladders providing access to the water. There is no diving or jumping off the pier due to shallow water.
Next to the pier is the Seaford Life Saving Club which has a nice outdoor sculpture and toilets.
This is a great location for family swimming with a lovely sandy beach which is patrolled. It is a good location for younger children with two sand banks parallel to the beach. If the children aren't strong swimmers they can stay between the water line and the first bar.
The beach is typically patrolled between mid November and mid April on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays in the afternoon.
Map:
Photos:
Location
125 Nepean Highway, Seaford 3198 Map
Web Links
→ Seaford Beach (BeachSafe)
→ Seaford Life Saving Club
→ Seaford Life Saving Club on Facebook
