A new base for Lifesaving Operations

Since its formation in 1947, the Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club has provided a continuous community service through a patrolled beach on the southern surf beaches of Point Lonsdale. The Club first patrolled a section of beach referred to as the Steps Beach, however, for various reasons the patrolled beach was moved to the west in what is known as the Surf Beach, Back Beach or Glaneuse Beach since the early 1960s.

A variety of temporary lifesaving facilities were constructed in the sand dune to store essential lifesaving equipment before a permanent structure was finally built in 1982. This building included an observation room, a modest equipment storage area and a first aid room. In 2002, the building was renovated and extended to add a patrol room, slightly larger equipment storage and, in conjunction with the Borough of Queenscliffe, public toilets.

The coastal area faces extremes of weather and in recent years engineering assessments have concluded that concrete cancer has substantially weakened the structure and fabric of the Beach Base and the only viable solution is to demolish and rebuild it. Additionally, the Point Lonsdale back beach is a very popular tourist destination and the existing Beach Base is unable to provide the additional lifesaving requirements stemming from much greater numbers of beach users.

In recognition of the need to provide a replacement Beach Base, in the 2021/22 budget, the State Government announced that $2.5m funding would be provided for a new fit-for-purpose lifesaving base to support the long-term effective and efficient delivery of lifesaving services and improve beach user safety outcomes.

Since receiving State Government funding, the Club has worked with a number of State Government bodies, the Borough of Queenscliffe and community groups to deliver a new building which would include:

  • Observation Room

  • First Aid Room

  • Emergency response motor room and equipment storage

  • Patrol support room

  • Member change rooms

  • Public toilets (in conjunction with the Borough of Queenscliffe).

The complexity of the project unfortunately resulted in little progress being made until 2025. The complexity is well-demonstrated by the Club’s initial application for approval under the Marine and Coastal Act (MACA) which was subsequently rejected in March 2025 by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action - Click to see MACA consent application Part 1 and Part 2.

In July 2025, the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon Vicki Ward MP, together with the Member for Bellarine, Alison Marchant MP, visited the Club to discuss the project and the existing facility to better understand the scope of the rebuild. Given the relatively small scale of the proposed building, the Minister expressed concern about the time elapsed since the grant funding was provided. During discussions, it was agreed that the best way forward was for project delivery to be transferred to the Community Safety Building Authority (CSBA), a business unit within the Department of Justice and Community Safety highly experienced in the delivery of emergency services facilities for organizations such as LSV, CFA and the SES. This transfer occurred in October 2025 and the Club has now mover to an end-user role (albeit the Club has representation on the Project Control Group). This approach effectively aligns the Back Beach project with a typical budget-funded delivery model rather than a grant-funded one. The Cub is very grateful to the assistance provided by Minister Ward and our local Member, Alison Marchant, as it has resulted in an acceleration of the project. As of January 2026, CSBA if progressing with appointment of a lead consulant to coordinate all necessary services with the objective of achieving the following milestones:

  • Concept Design completed - July 2026

  • Schematic Design completed and approved by the PLSLSC - Sept 2026

  • Marine and Coastal Act Consent - Notice of Decision from DEECA received by Dec 2026

Members of the Club’s Building Committee are:

  • Chris Harper

  • Matt Ponsford ESM

  • Andrew Sutherland (Club Assistant Secretary)

The Committee welcome your feedback and queries.