Aquatic Safety

The Mornington Peninsula, surrounded by 192 km of stunning coastline, has alarmingly recorded the highest number of drownings in Victoria.  Trends suggest that further fatal drowning incidents are inevitable every year, for the foreseeable future.

Coming together in February 2024 and now known as the Mornington Peninsula Water Safety Alliance (MPWSA), this group comprises of representatives from various sectors including local agencies, industry, government bodies and community organisations.  These include;

  • Belgravia Leisure
  • MPS Emergency Management & Resilience
  • Lifesaving Victoria
  • Parks Victoria
  • Surfing Victoria
  • Sorrento SES
  • Portsea Surf Lifesaving Club
  • Dromana Lifesaving Club
  • Department of Education – Aquatic Programming
  • Community Representative (Back Beach Collective)
  • Ambulance Victoria – Mornington Peninsula
  • Victoria Police – Rosebud
  • Mornington Peninsula Tourism

These alliances will be key in developing a localised drowning prevention plan and driving actions tailored specifically to the Mornington Peninsula, aligning with a broader regional strategy.

Short-Term Initiatives

As we approach the summer season, several immediate actions have been initiated, including:

  • Development of community awareness and education communications such as posters and videos, funded by the “Play it Safe by the Water” initiative ($10k) 
  • Launch of a dedicated local website for local resident and visitor water safety information, campaigns, recourses and our project updates. 
  • Implementation of water safety messaging for schoolies groups visiting the region 
  • Programming initiatives for our local Belgravia Leisure swim school students and broader community engagement ahead of summer in November 
  • Driving advocacy for research on signage effectiveness and publicly accessible flotation devices with Lifesaving Victoria 
  • Distribution of safety articles and preparedness resources through tourism and media channels 
  • Creation of emergency safety information materials for short-term accommodations

Long-Term Vision

The long-term objective is the development of a local plan and enhance awareness of coastal water risks and promote safe practices. By integrating water safety education into learn to swim students and local schools through GOswim, targeted outreach to residents and visitors and leveraging the support of key stakeholders, we aspire to be part of the movement in creating a safer coastal environment for all who enjoy the waters of the Mornington Peninsula.

Advocacy Updates and Funding Opportunities.

PISBTW ($10k)
In July 2024, Belgravia Leisure applied for grant funding from the Play it Safe by the Water for the creation of 3 x Mornington Peninsula Coastline collaborative assets, including the production of a series of four x 20 second educational videos and several still assets aimed at educating both residents and visitors to the Mornington Peninsula. Creating these TAC style assets but with water safety messaging will enable the local working group and its associated agencies to build community capacity in water safety awareness.

Agencies will then be able to launch an educational media campaign on water safety across the Mornington Peninsula