Those inner city beaches have always been edgy. Guys used to be nude in the dunes up near Port Melbourne, minimal attire was common on St Kilda beach with one couple I used to see would strip, she would always be topless and they would both just keep their briefs over their genitals, maybe they read the legislation. Taking that to an extreme, a guy could wear a sock and be legal.
"Those inner city beaches have always been edgy. Guys used to be nude in the dunes up near Port Melbourne, minimal attire was common on St Kilda beach with one couple I used to see would strip, she would always be topless and they would both just keep their briefs over their genitals, maybe they read the legislation. Taking that to an extreme, a guy could wear a sock and be legal."
Yeah, I was working in Port Melbourne for a while one summer in the mid 2000s and recall sock guy tanning and one other occasion where it turned out there was, er, viguourus activity quite close to where I was laying out! I did take advantage by wearing an edgy suit that my wife does not let me wear when I'm with her! Working there was great, spent many a lunch hour swimming!
One notable example was when we saw a sign in a restaurant lobby that said thongs were permitted in the bar, but not the dining room, I was confused until our nephew told us that they were referring to footwear, not underwear or swimsuits.
Before thong underwear and swimwear became a thing, what are now called flip-flops were called thongs -- in the US.