A picturesque beach a stone's throw from the tourist mecca of Noosa has become embroiled in a debate over people's rights to bare all.
Alexandria Bay in the Noosa National Park has long been an unofficial nudist beach, but police say the practice is illegal and claim it attracts people who commit indecent acts.
Queensland is the only mainland state without designated nudist beaches and a recent police blitz resulted in a man being charged and several nudists being fined.
The controversy has seen Noosa's state MP Sandy Bolton ask her community whether they would support a law change.
Sunshine Coast District Superintendent Craig Hawkins said police launched the operation after receiving many complaints of people acting inappropriately.
"The behaviours that we're most concerned about is the people that are masturbating and committing indecent acts of that nature," he said.
"That is absolutely disgusting act to be doing, particularly in a public place.
"The greater concern is, I'd hate to think that this behaviour would escalate even further, to the point of somebody being attacked in a sexual way."
A 53-year-old Warana man has been charged with committing an indecent act in a public place and will face Noosa Magistrates Court on May 30.
Police were unable to apprehend another man but said they were confident of identifying him and laying charges.
But the beach's regular nudists, or naturists, were caught up in crackdown and several people were fined $287 for wilful exposure.
"The reality is, in Queensland you can't expose your genitals in a public space," Superintendent Hawkins said.
"The nudist activities, arguably – and I'd say with pretty solid evidence – is attracting the behaviour in regards to the indecent acts, and as a consequence we need to pay attention to it.
"We can't pay attention to one matter without paying attention to the other."
Fines dropped
Queensland Naturist Association president Rachael Freeman said four members who received fines went to Noosa Police Station and had their fines dropped.
Queensland Police confirmed that four people sunbaking in the sand dunes had their fines converted to cautions.
Ms Freeman said she hoped police exercised discretion in future.
She said in other states where nudist beaches are legal there was safety in numbers and anyone behaving inappropriately was made to leave.
"Unfortunately, because ours isn't legal people are too scared to go there, so you might get one or two people and it's hard to police the lewd activity," Mr Freeman said.
Naturist Raice Nicholls said the nudist community had a "culture" that strongly rejected lewd behaviour.
"Our number one rule by far is there is no hanky-panky in public, ever — not even with husbands and wives," he said.
"We will not tolerate people being lewd or touching each other or anything like that.
"[Police] are trying to mix us up with that group, when we're nothing like that."
Ms Freeman said nudists were misunderstood and that the behaviour was not sexual.
"We're not all hippies," she said.
"We're actually doctors and lawyers and hairdressers and business owners and CEOs of companies.
"If you go to a normal beach … you're lucky to speak to one person.
"Come to one of our beaches, everyone talks to each other.
"By the end of the day we're friends, we're taking each other's phone numbers and meeting up at different places … it's a lifestyle.
"People say, 'We don't like to see naked people' — we don't like to see people that are clothed when we're naked, because it's embarrassing to us as well.
"It works the same way."
MP seeks feedback
Ms Bolton has launched an online survey asking constituents whether they support Queensland's laws changing to allow nudist beaches.
She suspected some of the people who reported the nudists to police did not know the beach's history.
"They weren't aware because it's not signposted and so they were probably a bit taken aback, and hence why they've made complaints to the police," Ms Bolton said.
Police have pledged to continue the crackdown.
"It's not something that's going to go away," Superintendent Hawkins said.
"Periodically we will have police up and around there and taking the action necessary in regards to the behaviours that we uncover."
Spokesmen for Noosa Shire Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife said the issue was a police matter and declined to comment further.
