‘Hectic and loose’: Towns brace for impact as schoolies celebrations kick off (2024)

Schoolies hot spots are set for an influx of year-12 revellers from this weekend, and one coastal council has embraced the often-maligned school-leavers and the economic boost they bring ahead of summer.

Alongside Lorne, Torquay and Phillip Island, the Mornington Peninsula has long been a popular party spot for Victorian teens at the end of their school days – even before recently reappointed mayor Anthony Marsh helped launch its inaugural council-sanctioned schoolies in 2021.

“Some people think schoolies is just a bunch of drunken idiots, and I don’t think that’s our view,” Marsh said.

“People are trying to celebrate the end of a crazy period in their life, and they can come and relax, and do it in a safe and responsible way.”

More than 89,000 VCE students are expected to celebrate the end of a tumultuous exam period – marred by a scandal over leaked questions – before results are released on December 12.

In Rye, the council will run an outdoor stage with local DJs every night from Saturday to next Thursday. There will be a bus service to get attendees home safely. Youth services staff and volunteers will be on hand for revellers, alongside a large police presence on the foreshore.

“We’re saying: let’s not sit here and get all grumpy that tourism is coming in and spending money and trying to have a good time,” Marsh said. “Let’s embrace that but give them something to do.”

For Victorians headed to other states, Byron Bay remains one of the most popular destinations.

Private-school graduates favoured it over the Gold Coast, Brighton Grammar School student Zac Ristevski said.

“Byron’s more of a getaway location, rather than Gold Coast, where it might just be a bit more hectic and loose,” he said.

Ristevski said he had estimated a spend of about $3000 for the week partying with about 70 schoolmates.

“There’s obviously a lot of parties and events on during the week that most of us have got tickets to,” he said. “So assuming [the plan is] just beach all day and then go home, get ready and go out.”

Families book up to two years in advance to stay in Byron, but some Melbourne students have found that planning ahead doesn’t guarantee their accommodation.

Melbourne mother Lisa Grant booked a deluxe two-bedroom cabin at a Byron Bay caravan park for her son and his friends more than a year ago. But the boys were recently told by booking agent Sure Thing Travel their accommodation was no longer available.

They were told they could stay in a “deluxe safari tent”, pay $249 more each to stay in another spot, or pay more for a two-bedroom cabin that was similar to the one originally booked. They chose the tent.

“The boys can’t afford to pay any more and shouldn’t have to pay more for something that is equivalent to what they originally booked,” said Grant. “It’s really not fair.”

Kate Hurse’s daughter was meant to be staying with friends at a rented house in Byron Bay, near town.

But when the girls were shifted to a caravan park more than five kilometres out of town, Hurse complained that the accommodation was neither safe nor equivalent to what they had booked. The group was lucky enough to find alternative accommodation and successfully sought a refund from Sure Thing Travel.

Sure Thing Travel said a combination of unforeseen factors had affected accommodation reservation in Byron, including property owners shifting to long-term rentals, owners no longer accepting schoolie bookings and Byron Shire introducing a short-term rental cap of 60 days a year.

“We clearly state on all accommodation pages, payment pages, and in email communications that room types and bedding configurations are not guaranteed,” Sure Thing Travel said.

“Additionally, as part of our booking conditions, we reserve the right to provide substitute accommodation if the originally booked property becomes unavailable. This is a standard practice in the travel industry and allows us to fulfil our commitments despite unforeseen circumstances.”

But Stephen Nowicki, director of legal practice at the Consumer Action Law Centre, said company terms did not override Australian consumer law.

“If there were penalties attached to the failure to provide the product advertised, then it would give the booking services a greater incentive to prevent this from happening,” he said.

“People assume that what’s advertised is what they’re going to get, and that is a requirement of the consumer law.”

Adam Glezer, of consumer advocacy business Consumer Champion, said: “As Jerry Seinfeld says, it’s very easy to take a reservation, but the holding of the reservation is the most important part.”

Get alerts on significant breaking news as it happens. Sign up for our Breaking News Alert.