AN abandoned homeless camp hidden in the bushes at the Rosebud foreshore – described by locals as a “disgrace” – has now been cleaned up following months of safety concerns.
The site, scattered with tents, microwaves and rubbish, is believed to have remained untouched for months despite repeated warnings to authorities.
A nearby resident said the camp had been there for at least six months and abandoned about two months ago.
“The park rangers have been told about it, but nothing has been done,” the resident, who wish to remain anonymous, told The News last week.
“Definitely a danger to campers and especially kids who sometimes explore the foreshore.”
However, the Mornington Peninsula Shire confirmed the site, along with another nearby, was cleaned up on 29 January.
“Until recently both had been occupied by people who were rough sleeping, so it was not appropriate to clear them,” a shire spokesperson.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action owns the foreshore land, but the shire manages it.
The resident first discovered the camp while walking past the area in October.
Concerned about safety, the resident initially avoided entering the site.
But months later, with peak season under way, the camp remained with the resident questioning how the situation was allowed to continue.
“I thought, are you serious? Whoever allowed this to happen, it’s still there, and they’ve done nothing about it,” they said.
“I know that the rangers here know about it because I know that other people have told them and I’ve told them, and nothing has been done.”
The resident said the problem has dragged on far too long, saying “it’s a bloody disgrace.”
Despite the anger, the resident stressed they have sympathy for those experiencing homelessness but criticised the mess left behind.
A shire spokesperson said the peninsula received little funding for homelessness services, despite having the highest number of people sleeping rough in Victoria – greater even than Melbourne City Council.
“In October 2025, 128 people were sleeping rough in tents, cars and at our foreshore reserves. A large proportion of these people were women, youth and people over 55,” the spokesperson said.
“The delivery and co-ordination of homelessness services is a state government responsibility. In December, the mayor wrote again to the state government asking for a clear direction on where rough sleepers should be sent to access support or crisis accommodation and seeking immediate funding to address the seasonal increase in rough sleeping on our foreshore.”
As reported by The News in January, community leaders have expressed exasperation at the lack of state government response to the growing issues of homelessness on the peninsula and are renewing their calls for urgent action (Community leaders demand homeless action, The News 27/01/26).
In a statement, the government said as of 3 December last year there were more 4500 reported Airbnb listings on the Mornington Peninsula, which was “placing pressure on the most vulnerable Victorian households looking for a place to live, which is why the short stay levy is critical to building more social housing and adding more long-term rental properties to the market”.
The government is investing more than $1m to support the operation of youth refuges in Mount Martha and Moorabbin.
First published in the Mornington News – 2 February 2026
