Dear Tourists,
I'm writing this letter to you in hopes to give you some understanding behind the reasoning as to why there is such a division between tourists and locals down on the Mornington Peninsula.. I also hope it helps you empathise with us (the locals)..
Just to emphasise my point, first off, here are some facts -: Around 150,000 people live on the peninsula, most in the small towns on its western shorelines... During the summer months, the population can swell to around 250,000+ people and has hit triple that on the holidays of the year like New Years Eve etc.. The coastline {I am a further down local so I'm personally talking Dromana to Portsea areas} is roughly around 20kms wide and 15kms long, so as far as space goes, you get my drift right!!??? Small space LOTS of people..
Anyway, we pretty much as a whole live here in relative peace and quiet, you cannot go down the street without bumping into someone you know, or more probable the number is 5x odd someone's you know, we are a 'community', our children even of differing schools all know each other, it is just such an amazing place to be, and then tourist season hits.. We recognise you come down here as a get away from crazy hectic city life, hell half of us have done the same as a sea-change and stayed.. This is where the problem lies.. Let me explain from our point of view, and when I say 'our' I cannot talk for all, but its a topic of conversation we all have every year, lets hope I can articulate it properly *even if it is quite long*,,,
We drive down the street only to be cut off, glared at, completely ignored or even abused.. We cannot get a carpark for the life of us, and what you all seem to forget is we are NOT on holidays, we LIVE here, we have jobs to get to, children to run around, sports/life/family and community commitments we try to keep whilst having to keep in mind the main road in our area is bumper to bumper traffic and on average what would normally take us 5mins in our everyday travels now takes up to 40+ mins.. and even all our shortcuts and backstreets have been taken over, so let alone finding an easier way to conduct our life we worry about the volume of traffic that can affect how we allow our children to play because everyone is still on 'city' time and hoons around as if they have firecrackers up their butts.. They pay no heed to road rules or speed limits or the fact that Mr.Smiths 5yr old just got a bike for christmas and may accidentally fly out of their driveway, but alot of us locals do know these things, or we are mindful of them..
We shop in our local supermarkets, where we know everyone who serves us, even if its just as a quick g'day and a nod, where on a cold wet winters night we can do a whole food shop and not see another soul, yet over these summer months we try to buy essentials like bread, milk, newspapers, toilet paper even meat, and you name it we are out of luck.. Us 'locals' who still have to work and provide for our families and manage our time because we are not on holidays but still 'living normal life' cant even race down the street to buy breakfast items because it takes too long and they're all sold out anyway..
Our kids cannot go to their local skate park without any number of kids, youth or even adult's being rude if not actually aggressive.. Our teens are abused, attacked and walk around in fear of what may happen if they look even sideways at the wrong person, glassing's and knife attacks are becoming more predominant every year.. **and before people ask who I am, I am a mother of just out of school teens, still in high school teens, primary school aged, and a Kinder aged child.. I grew up from 14 onwards down here, I 'live' here, I work here, I study here, I am affected along with thousands of others on a consistent level..
Loud music is played till all hours of the night, in understandable "happiness for holiday freedom", but it doesn't help when it wakes your kids and they sob for lack of sleep or you have to be up before 6am for work etc.. Most of Us 'locals' are beach goers, we live here, so you would be correct in assuming this 'beach-life' is part of who we are.. We cannot find a spot to play with our kids, the sand and water is littered by forgotten rubbish someone left behind who appreciating their time off doesn't appreciate the paradise where they are spending it.. Our children have to wear shoes, because broken glass bottle and needles along our beachfront are becoming more commonplace.. Our community parks and playgrounds that we scrimp, save and fundraise for are vandalised, our kids wearing the aftermath of a 'fun' night out where the local park is set on fire as just happened recently, somewhere our kids can no longer play until our community fixes it..
When wandering down the plaza our children, big and small, are completely ignored, bashed into, barked at, bowled over without even the slightest use of manners, this has happened to my own children so many times I cannot count and my children have such lovely manners so this point really irritates me.. These children who all grow together, who understand more about community and respect in one breath than half the 'visitors' we see down here over the summer periods..
People push in line, steal carparks, drive in ways that can only be described as pure stupidity, and they wonder why we exasperatedly roll our eyes or even give back a little of what we cop.. This is our HOME, we are invaded by rude expectant people with no manners or respect for ourselves, our homes, our children, our beaches, our communities or even just a realisation they should be thankful at being able to be part if only for a little while such a wonderful place.. Who are so busy trying to be relaxed they cannot see that like a cyclone they leave behind a trail of destruction that will continue to affect us long after they have left..
You can scoff all you want, If you think trying to justify it away by thinking it is not so wonderful, then why are you here?? Slow down, have respect, use your manners, common courtesy, friendliness never hurt anyone, and above all be mindful that even though your fast paced life is temporarily on hold, ours aren't....!!!! ~ Written by a mid 30's mother who grew up in St.Kilda and worked in the city until her 30's {so I am no stranger to hustle and bustle} but is proud to have been part of the MP Lifestyle including bringing her own children up here for over 20yrs, and the craziness that is tourist season drives me nuts, cannot fathom how it affects the MP lifers!!!!! **please feel free to share**
