| Safety Beach Melbourne, Victoria | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Boats at Martha Cove, Safety Beach | |||||||||||||||
  Safety Beach | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°19′19″S 144°59′10″E / 38.322°S 144.986°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 6,328 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 1,050/km2 (2,730/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3936 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mornington Peninsula | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Nepean | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flinders | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Safety Beach is a seaside suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 56 km (35 mi) south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Safety Beach recorded a population of 6,328 at the 2021 census.[1]
Safety Beach occupies slightly less than half the area of land between the foothills of Mount Martha and Arthurs Seat and borders Port Philip Bay to its west.
Martha Cove is a large inland harbour and residential development in Safety Beach. It was named after its location in the cove at the foot of Mount Martha. The project, which began in 2004, was initially heavily protested by residents. After experiencing considerable financial difficulties, Martha Cove recovered and became a thriving residential community.[2][3][4] Golfers play at the course of the Mount Martha Valley Golf Club on Country Club Drive,[5] or at the Safety Beach Golf Course nearby.[6]
Previously, an abattoir existed nearby to slaughter local farm animals for their meat. Blood and offal from early abattoir operations were dumped into the Sheepwash and Dunns Creeks, and carried by these creeks into Dromana Bay at Safety Beach.
Consequently, when lots of sharks were attracted here, people joked and called Safety Beach “Shark Bay” for some years. Eventually the abattoir’s operations were properly cleaned up by Health Department regulations, and Safety Beach never had its name changed from the original one ‘Safety Beach’ given by John Aitken in 1836. [7]
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Safety Beach (Vic.)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ Allen, Elizabeth. "Stormclouds over Martha Cove - Business - News - Mornington Peninsula Leader". Mornington-peninsula-leader.whereilive.com.au. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ Tatman, Christian. "Martha Cove investors feel the heat - Business - News - Mornington Peninsula Leader". Mornington-peninsula-leader.whereilive.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
- ^ "Hidden Harbour Marina". Core Projects. 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
After much dedication, we converted Martha Cove from a floundering project into a raging success.
- ^ Golf Select. "Mount Martha Valley". Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ Golf Select. "Safety Beach". Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ Patterson, G (2013). "Coastal Guide to nature and history Port Phillip Bay".
