Clampdown on schoolies

Surf Coast braces for influx of students

PRESSURE has mounted to ban schoolies on the Surf Coast as a Torquay holiday house owner — fearing extensive damage — says she won’t rent to school-leavers again.

Coastal towns are bracing for an influx of thousands of schoolies in the next month, reigniting debate over the notorious celebrations.

Sharon Huntly, who owns a holiday house about 200m from the popular Esplanade, has already knocked back a number of inquiries from Year 12 students in the lead-up to December’s party season.

Ms Huntly has been deterred by tenants who last year broke two windows, smashed a hole in a wall and destroyed furniture.

“There’s no way I could go through it again after last year — it just isn’t worth it,” Ms Huntly said. “I know that a lot of the school-leavers are well behaved, but it’s the select few groups that have no consideration for anybody else that ruin it for everyone.

“They were the most destructive people I’ve ever had stay.”

Ms Huntly was able to seize their bond, but claims she still ultimately made a loss after the cost of repairs and duration that the property was listed as unavailable.

While the term “schoolies” is synonymous with bad behaviour, Surf Coast councillor Margot Smith said the shire was trying to make the period as painless as possible.

Cr Smith said she believed a ban was unnecessary.

“In the case of Lorne and Torquay, where the bigger groups are — I don’t think there’s been too many issues,” she said.

“The relationship between schoolies and residents can be a bad one and while that’s not something that will change overnight, we’ve been trying to build on it in recent years.

“I’ve seen some of the ways they advertise schoolies in the Gold Coast and I’m not sure I support those approaches because they’re glorifying bad behaviour.”

In recent years, the Surf Coast celebrations have been rebranded as Good Times Great Breaks, in an attempt to reverse the stigma associated with other infamous destinations.

Dozens of drug and alcohol workers will travel to Torquay and Lorne for the three-week schoolies period as part of a $30,000 harm-minimisation initiative.