Stay safe on Surf, schoolies

WITH year 12 exams wrapping up next week, school leavers are about to descend on the Surf Coast to celebrate finishing high school.

Schoolies.com chief executive officer Matt Lloyd said more than 1000 students had booked into accommodation in Lorne between November 26 and December 3 via the Schoolies website. “Our main message to students is to have fun, look after your mates and stay safe,” he said.

Surf Coast Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said booking numbers in Torquay were less certain but it was expecting a couple of hundred schoolies.

“We know (school leavers) will be keen to get out and celebrate the end of their school years ... we want to support them to do that in a fun, safe and respectable way,” she said.

The shire is working alongside agencies such as Victoria Police and Red Frogs as well as accommodation providers and venues such as the Lorne Hotel to ensure schoolies feel safe during their celebrations.

The TAC’s Vanessa bus will be on the Lorne foreshore offering chill-out spaces as well as educating school leavers how to keep themselves and their mates safe on the road.

Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism general manager Liz Price said the schoolies season was great for businesses along the Surf Coast as it boosted midweek visitation. But the biggest challenge for businesses during the peak visitor period remains staff shortages. “Businesses are worried about getting enough workers so they can be open during the entire peak summer period,” she said. To combat this, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism and Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine have collaborated to launch a free app to attract school leavers back to the coast to work over warmer months