Signs of life - new trial underway

Woolamai surf beach, Forrest Caves and Kilcunda beach will have new safety signage this summer, as part of a trial to warn the public when visiting dangerous beaches.

The trial will employ a series of different signs with explicit warnings and visuals that make clear a beach has substantial life-threatening hazards.

This may also include a clear indication if drowning incidents have occurred at a particular beach.

The new signs feature:
*A clear warning that “Drowning deaths have occurred here”;
*The universal hazard symbol;
*Key safety messages in multiple languages; and
*QR codes linking to online translations and further guidance.

The beaches involved in the trial have been the setting for major drowning tragedies in previous years.

All of these incidents occurred at unpatrolled locations or times, outside the red and yellow flags.

The design of the signs has been developed through 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 several beaches by local residents.

The signs 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.

In addition, Bass Coast Shire has also installed new emergency location markers at beaches across Phillip Island, San Remo, Kilcunda, Cape Paterson and Inverloch, eventually replacing the former “yellow hat” style.

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.

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.

Water safety information sessions and resources will be provided to Mornington Peninsula and Bass Coast visitor centres. This will help centre staff and volunteers to provide vital water safety advice to people visiting the area.

Beaches on the Mornington Peninsula - Gunnamatta and Mills - are also part of the trial.

Local risk

Bass Coast is considered a key "black spot" location in the state, with Life Saving Victoria (LSV) research showing there was a 96 per cent likelihood of a fatal drowning each year in the shire - the second highest risk level, behind the Mornington Peninsula.

According to the LSV Water Safety Framework released in March 2025, there were 32 fatal drownings in Bass Coast Shire between 2014/15 and 2023/24.
That is five times the Victorian LGA average.

The majority of drownings were visitors, with only five Bass Coast residents drowning in the 10-year period (and not all of them within the shire).
Over the decade, the report said there were also 21 non-fatal drownings attended by paramedics.

Six people drowned in Bass Coast in the 2023-24 period. Five were on Phillip Island, including four people who died at Forrest Caves in January 2024, in the worst incidence of mass drowning in the state in nearly two decades.

The other two drownings were at Kilcunda and Surf Beach and all drownings happened at unpatrolled locations.

This summer lifeguards and lifesavers from Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club will patrol Phillip Island's beaches.

Between now and Sunday February 15, 2026, Woolamai Beach and Smiths Beach will be patrolled every day.

Cowes Beach will be patrolled seven days per week from December 22 until Friday February 6 (other than Christmas Day).