[Travelogue] Melbourne: Day 2 (2/3) | Brighton Beach - The Colourful Bathing Boxes | sillyandordinarygirl

By Lasmarya Hadi Purwanto - March 17, 2019

After filling our tummy with highly nutritious brunch at the Auction Rooms, we started our journey of the day to one of the "must-visit"(s) in Melbourne, which is the Brighton Beach. From the Auction Rooms in North Melbourne, we rode the tram no 57, for 9 stops and around 11 mins, to the Flinders Street Railway Station, and got on the next train to the Brighton Beach Railway Station (Sandringham train). The trip to Brighton Beach takes around 24 minutes/11 stops, and we can ride on the train by simply tapping our Myki card at the station, but you'll have to purchase a paper ticket if you don't have it. So, it can be said that Myki card is pretty essential and convenient for your trip in Melbourne if you're travelling by yourselves.

The Brighton Beach Railway Station is pretty close to the beach, only about 200m away, and as we got off the train, we saw the beach right away, so we just walked along the road till we got to the white stretch of sand.

(Beware, lots of narcissism ahead!)

Brighton Beach is mainly famous for its row of 82 colourful bathing boxes which owners use as changing and storage facilities (mostly to keep bathing and swimming necessities) and also as a great place to relax on the beach side with families in summer. These licensed bathing boxes/beach boxes have been there since the 19th century, and still remain as they did over one hundred years ago, with their classic Victorian architectural features, timber-framed and no water and electricity connected.

The owners, holding license approved by Brighton Council, have the freedom to decorate and paint their bathing boxes as they like and make them different from one another, which indeed makes the row of boxes looks even more artistic and eye-catching with the colour variations.

As unique as each one is, these boxes are known to cost quite a big sum of fortune as families usually own them for generation, and they are rarely for sale. So once it is available to purchase, the price can be pretty surprising. One of the boxes was even sold for $337,000 last year in an auction.

Brighton Beach is one of the hottest tourist destinations in Melbourne, so be aware that there will be lots of tourists. It is expected to be even much more crowded in summer, as the locals and the owners of the bathing boxes usually come to the beach to sunbath, to relax or to swim.

Fortunately, for us, when we were there, it was winter, and there weren't too many tourists, so we were able to snap some good pictures without being photobombed by others. Though sometimes, we had to be patient too waiting for good timing to take the photos. But, it was worth it after all, I guess? :D