Covid 19 coronavirus: What virus? Aussies told to tone it down after police crash illegal beach parties

Hundreds of people partied at Black Rock beach, near Melbourne, on Sunday. Screenshot / Channel 7

Australians enjoying their post-lockdown freedom have been asked to tone it down after video emerged of a large beach party in Melbourne's southeast.

The footage, shared by 7 News journalist Jacqueline Felgate, showed revellers at Black Rock beach, 20km from Melbourne's CBD, on Sunday afternoon.

THIS. Happening in Black Rock now- Sunday night in Melbourne. @7NewsMelbourne 🤯🤯🤯 @VictorianCHO pic.twitter.com/MrzhHKjq8k

— Jacqueline Felgate (@Jacquifelgate) November 15, 2020

The gathering, which included at least 100 people, was in violation of Victoria's relaxed stage four restrictions, which permit only 10 people to gather outside together and all people to wear masks when not eating or drinking.

Victoria Police officers broke up the illegal gathering and moved people along as temperatures stayed high on Sunday night, but they did not issue any fines and nobody was arrested.

Victoria Police broke up the illegal gathering and moved people along, but did not issue any fines. Screenshot / Channel 7

There was a heavy police presence closer to the city at St Kilda beach on Sunday night too. St Kilda was the scene of another illegal gathering on Saturday night.

Revellers were attending an event hosted by Melbourne Interactive Entertainment at Acland Street that including a DJ.

Most weren't wearing masks when police arrived and moved people on. Again, no fines were issued as police took a softer approach that in previous weeks.

Don’t risk everything. What we can hold back now means a truly normal summer. Please - Hold. The. Line. https://t.co/4nFM5EypBM

— Chief Health 🍩fficer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) October 2, 2020

Event manager David Kirsner told the Herald Sun he envisaged the event being a "loving sort of come together where people were going to be doing the right thing as much as possible".

"I think at the end it got a little bit out of hand, it was mainly just one or two people that caused that," he said.

Large gatherings at beaches have been a feature of post-lockdown life in Melbourne following three months where a curfew was imposed and people were banned from travelling more than 5km from their place of residence.

In early October, Victoria's chief health officer Brett Sutton urged Melburnians to take a cautious approach and not rush back to old habits.

"Don't risk everything. What we can hold back now means a truly normal summer. Please hold the line," he wrote while sharing vision of a rowdy crowd at St Kilda beach — including one man who planted a kiss on the cheek of reporter Paul Dowsley.

Melburnians on the whole continue to do the right thing. There have been no new cases and no new deaths for 16 days in a row.