SAFETY Beach will be the scene of frenetic athletic activity when the Sufferfest Triathlon takes over the foreshore on the weekend of 23-24 March.
Organisers hope the new location will be more of a safe haven after they were criticised last year for basing their races in Mt Martha and closing the Esplanade between Mornington and Safety Beach on Clean-up Australia Day.
Competitors dodged shoppers, beachgoers and clean-up volunteers and leading to Mornington Peninsula Shire amending its events policy to prevent any future clashes of dates (“Policy to avoid event clash” The News 3/4/2018).
The shire’s communications and events manager Randal Mathieson said during this year’s Sufferfest all traffic, including cyclists, would be banned from using Marine Drive in Safety Beach from Bruce Road to Nepean Highway, Sunday 24 March.
He said the shire would install detour signs to guide motorists unfamiliar with the area. The parking lane on the residential side of Marine Drive will be reserved for residents entering and exiting their properties. Access to the Halcyon and Robin Park caravan parks will be along Link Drive, Prescott Avenue and Tonkin Street.
Access to the Safety Beach boat ramp will be along Victoria Street at the direction of traffic controllers, who will also be positioned at each closed side road to advise motorists and pedestrians on detours.
The weekend’s Sufferfest activities will kick off with the Frog Challenge on the Saturday, followed by swim-run endurance events and cycling, running and swimming on the Sunday.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 19 March 2019
