The Australian state of Victoria has four official nude beaches and three of them have conservative interest groups attempting to have their legal status repealed, according to Rob Stephenson, spokesperson for the Free Beach Association and Nudist Association of Victoria (FBANAVIC). One particularly vicious battle involves the nude beach at Point Impossible where efforts to chase nudists out come from a conservative local government, as well as members of the community. The outcome of that fight could seal the fate of the other two, Stephenson said.
In hedonistic, beach-going, “laissez-faire” Australia, such anti-liberal attacks aren’t typical, but all it takes is a “small but noisy group, seeking to impose their views on the majority”, Stephenson points out. He also emphasized that there also has been pressure from property developers as seaside towns expand in the direction of formerly remote nude beaches.
Australian law makes public nudity a criminal act, but only if someone places a formal complaint, Stephenson informs us. In the past, “Some police officers were prepared to walk for miles across barren sand dunes (to nude beaches) with the express purpose of being offended”, he claims.
One of the “proactive” strategies adopted by nudist groups, Stephenson affirms, involves educating the public: “…Highlight the positive aspects of nudism to the media and community, promote its tourism potential to authorities, and demonstrate that nudists are just normal people who like to do things without their clothes on!”.

Photo courtesy of Rob Stephenson. Copyright Rob Stephenson

Related Links:

• FBANAVIC web site

	Nudist Day interviewed John Ordover, the founder of CODinners, an organization specializing in nudist dinners in restaurants in New York City since 2004 that’s made headlines around the world.

According to Ordover, the idea for the club came after he and his wife attended a clothing optional dinner in Philadelphia: “I was in touch with several nudist groups in the NYC area and everyone thought it was a hoot”. From the start, the events were a hit, he tells us.
The press ran with the story, although they sometimes came out with erroneous headlines that proclaimed “New clothing optional restaurant opens in New York”, or something similar, when in reality dinners are held in different venues which have clothed patrons the rest of the time. The typical reaction of the restaurant managers when he first informs them that nudity is involved is “How many people will be coming?”, Ordover claims. “…This is, after all, NYC. We’re hardly the weirdest group they’ve seen!”, he adds.
The dinners are held in private rooms and attendees must be on the guest list, thereby discouraging voyeurs. Thirty to fifty people typically attend a single dinner, and about 125 people have participated since the first event, Ordover told us, thus implying that repeat customers are the norm.
New York City health bylaws only cover restaurant staff, who must be clothed, and private parties are exempt from most other regulations. While customers are expected to be nude, they’re not required to, but as Ordover puts it: “…Why bother to show up if you don’t want to be at least partially nude?”. Ordover recalls that at one dinner they invited a group of Marines from another private party to join them, which they did and then sang the Marine hymn “…While they tried to figure out where to look!”.
To keep things fresh, Ordover holds catered dinners in unusual locales, such as a museum, and at other times adds an activity such as bingo or yoga, or even a stand-up comedy show. If non-nudists were to ask “Why do you need to do every day things while nude?”, Ordover would reply with his own question: “Why do you need to wear clothing in a climate-controlled environment?”.
One of the mottos of CODinners is “No hot soup”, thus we felt compelled to ask Ordover if there’s anything else a nude diner needs to avoid: “Stepping outside for a smoke without dressing”, he replied. As New York can be rather cold at times, we surmise that this is wise advice!

Related Links:

• CODinners web site

Recently we wrote that a new hotel, La Posada Chihuahua, opened near the famous beach of the same name in Uruguay. This January, we proceeded to visit the bed and breakfast style establishment, and while we didn’t actually stay at the hotel, we happily report that it met our expectations.
The eight room inn is nestled among sand dunes and tall pine trees, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Punta del Este-Montevideo highway, and a mere 300 meters (900 feet) from the nude beach. Amiable owner-manager Adriana Barca opened the hotel in January, 2006, but business didn’t actually pick-up until she actually had her web site up and running a short time ago. A lot of her business is through word of mouth, Barca told us, and the inn was fully booked at the time we visited. Chatting with her mostly European guests, we were impressed by their positive comments, both about the hotel and its owner. We must also applaud her decision to advertise the business as being gay-friendly.
The rooms, while small, are tastefully decorated and clean thanks to her full-time staff of three, a rarity in the world of bed and breakfasts. Two of the rooms are suites for extended stays. Wherever we looked, the hotel seemed brand new, even though it had been open a year, as Barca had paint and furnishings recently updated. The hotel includes a restaurant with few options but quite tasty food. Note that food prices in Uruguay, especially in this zone, are practically on a par with what you might have to spend in Miami, so whether you eat at the inn or venture out for your grub, you’ll shell-out the same amount of money. The current exchange rate is around 24 Uruguayan pesos per dollar.
According to Barca, a nudist herself, you can be nude anywhere on the hotel grounds except in the dining area, as the restaurant actually welcomes non-nudist patrons as well. Future plans, she tells us, include purchasing an adjacent property, which will then be the site of a pool as well as other facilities for guests. Barca doesn’t plan to add more rooms anytime soon, as the inn would lose its quaintness if she did expand. Recently, Barca added free wireless internet for the convenience of customers with laptops.
The instructions for getting there are the same as for visiting Chihuahua beach (see link below), and signs point the way once you get off the main highway. Note that seasons are the reverse of those in the northern hemisphere, so the best time to visit is during the spring (Sept-Nov) or summer (Dec-March), when temperatures occasionally get piping hot.

• Paradise Found at Chihuahua Beach
• New Hotel Opens in Uruguay
• Nudism in Argentina and Uruguay

Related Links:

• La Posada Chihuahua’s site

Latin America’s first ever naturism congress will take place from March 30th through April 1st, 2007, in Praia do Pinho, Brazil. The famous nudist beach was chosen as the site of this convention during the last “CONGRENAT”, the Brazilian Naturist Federation’s (FBrN) convention, which took place in Rio de Janeiro on November 2, 2006. The congress’ goal is to reach out to and unify all nudists in Latin America. Participants will include representatives from naturist organizations from many countries in the region.
Brazil will also host the 31st edition of the International Naturists’ Federation’s (INF) congress in 2008. It’s slated to take place at Tambaba beach in the northern state of Paraiba, and will mark the first time the event is located in the southern hemisphere.

South Africa hasn’t been known as a nudist tourist destination in the past, but with the advent of several landed clubs and more to come, it will undoubtedly become a choice destination for nudists looking for something exotic and exciting.
According to Shana Coetzee, media representative for the South African Nudist Federation (SANFED), there’s only about 2,000 nudists in the country, with about 1,000 who regularly visit nudist clubs. Most nudists are white, Coetzee says, but SANFED is working hard on attracting more blacks to the lifestyle.
South Africans are a rather conservative lot and public nudity is illegal. However, topless sunbathing is practiced on a lot of beaches in South Africa. There are currently four offical nude beaches: Sandy Bay (Cape Town), Umhlanga (Durban), Secrets (Port Elizabeth) and one in Port Alfred. There’s also eight landed clubs: SunEden, Harmony Nature Farm, KiepersolKloof Village, Virginia Waters, Haakbos, Lazy Haven/Buff Lodge, Voelkop and Kudumanzi. The latter opens officially in March, 2007, and promises a unique “nude safari” experience. Voelkop caters strictly to gay couples, while most of the other clubs have a “couples only” policy.

Photo courtesy of Kalypso Tours. Copyright Kalypso Tours

Related Stories: Kudumanzi Related Links: Kalypso Tours/Kudumanzi SANFED Voelkop Buff Lodge Harmony Nature Farm Haakbos KiepersolKloof Village Sun Eden Virginia Waters Map of clubs (SANFED)