What are the Brighton bathing boxes?
The Brighton bathing boxes are a row of brightly painted beach huts on Dendy Street Beach in Brighton, a bayside suburb of Melbourne. There are 82 of them.
The boxes date back more than a century, to a time when strict modesty rules meant bathers needed somewhere to change. Today they are privately owned and used for storing beach gear.
They must keep their traditional shape but can be painted with colourful designs, from Australian flags to artwork. The boxes are heritage-listed and highly sought after, with sales sometimes reaching very high prices.
Visiting the boxes
The beach faces Port Phillip Bay, with views of the Melbourne skyline. Visitors can walk along the sand to photograph the boxes, especially at sunrise or sunset.
Brighton is about 30 minutes from the city centre by train or car. The coastal path continues to other bayside suburbs.
Similar but less famous bathing boxes can be found at other beaches around Port Phillip Bay and the Mornington Peninsula. The Brighton row is the best known and appears in many tourism campaigns.
Did You Know?
Owners of Brighton bathing boxes must be local ratepayers, and the boxes cannot have electricity or water.