This amazing beach side suburb is just
11 km south-east of Melbourne’s central business district, or roughly a
half-hour drive from the city. It was a real pleasure driving along the
coastline from the equally pretty St Kilda Esplanade Market to this most
photographed beach in Victoria.
Warm sunshine with soft breeze kissing
your cheeks gently on a beautiful great weather day (if you are lucky), before a backdrop of
vibrant arc of colours - what’s more can you ask for?
You can take a train from Flinders
Street Station at the Melbourne’s CBD; and within a mere 20 minutes train ride,
you will reach the Brighton Beach Railway. This iconic beach and its famous bathing boxes are located just a 500-metre stroll away from the
station.
Below are some interesting facts about
Brighton Beach’s bathing boxes:
1. The bathing boxes were built for modesty purposes
There are a total of 82 of these whimsical rainbow-colour huts stretching out along the coast of Brighton Beach at the
moment (and the number will be increased soon for sure in near future).
One of the most frequently asked questions, perhaps, is this; what is the true purpose of these bathing boxes?
According to internet sources, the
bathing boxes were built over a century ago in response to the very Victorian
ideas that women should only change in and out of swimming costumes in a
well-protected and fully-covered private area. These small little huts with
timber framing, weatherboards and corrugated iron roofs hence serve their
respective purpose of providing excellent shelter to the classy ladies who
wanted to enjoy the sunshine in public, but at the same time, preserve their
modesty.
2. The bathing boxes can only be owned by a Bayside resident
You might wonder if you can own
of one of these pretty little bathing boxes.
The answer is “No”, unless of course,
you are a resident of Bayside.
Currently, the bathing boxes can only be purchased by the
Bayside residents who pay the local council rates. And just when you are contemplating of owning a house in Bayside to start with, be warned:
Bayside is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the state of Victoria and the houses
are extravagantly expensive!
3. A bathing box could cost up to A$200,000 per box
As of 2008, these little boxes with no
bathroom and no amenities were selling for around A$200,000 per box.
Definitely a big “ouch” to those who haven’t even accumulated enough monies to
even get a basic residence in this expensive city of Melbourne.
Despite the ridiculously high purchase
price, the licensees are not allowed to rent or sublet
their beach boxes, nor sleep in or use this valuable asset of theirs as
accommodation.
4. The owner cannot advertise on the bathing boxes
These little beach huts are apparently
highly regulated, hence the uniformity in size, build and architectural design.
Despite the freedom to paint the sheds
in accordance with the owners’ respective aesthetic taste, the bathing box must
not be used as a form of advertising. Hence, we will probably never get the
chance to see a big yellow “M” hut beside a bright red distinctive Coca-Cola
sign and a black Nike swoosh’s box curving along this beautiful beach.
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