Have you ever seen pictures of the Brighton Bathing Boxes in Melbourne and thought I wonder how much they cost? or how do I get to Brighton Beach and when it is the best time to visit.
Well, our Brighton Bathing Box guide covers everything you need to know about one of Melbourne’s most photographed locations.
Visting The Bathing Boxes in Melbourne makes for the perfect day trip for you to escape from the city. The iconic bathing boxes are among one of Melbourne’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. We took a bike ride along the Esplanade and were constantly being blown away by the vast range of architecture of the incredible mansions on the beachfront.
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The History Of The Brighton Bathing Boxes 📚
The Brighton Bathing Boxes are Iconic and highly popular among tourists visiting Melbourne City. With 82 brightly coloured wooden beach huts dated from the early 1800s, you certainly have your choice of colours to take a photo in front of. The most popular box is the one painted with an Australian Flag.
The boxes were built for a woman to change their clothes for the beach in the 1800s, they were not aware of the knicker trick back then! Staying true to their history, you are not allowed to have running water in the boxes, electricity, or to sleep overnight here.
Almost everything that makes a bathing box useful isn’t allowed, but you can store chairs, umbrellas, and fishing equipment. Over the years the bathing boxes have become an iconic part of Brighton Beach which has dramatically increased the value of a box.
Where Are The Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes? 📍
Looking out over the Port Philip Bay and only 13km from the city of Melbourne, Victoria, the Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes are easily accessible to tourists visiting this artistic vibrant city.
If you haven’t guessed already the Brighton Bathing Boxes can be found on Brighton Beach. The boxes can be found at the end of Dendy Street Beach, Brighton.
There is a small car park which you must get a parking ticket. We know first hand that the ticket inspectors are keen to this area with the boxes popularity. As a result of not getting a ticket, we received an $81 fine. We were only at the beach for 20 minutes.
Brighton Bathing Boxes Address:
Esplanade, Brighton VIC 3186, Australia
How to get to the Brighton Bathing Boxes? 🚗
There are many ways to get to the Bathing Boxes. We have listed a few of the most popular and easiest ways to get here. If you prefer to visit here as part of a tour then Klook runs a great Day Tour which starts with the bathing boxes and then takes yours across to the famous Philip Island.
Walking
By far the easiest and cheapest. If you are staying close to Brighton walk or hop on a bike and head towards the beach. All along the beach running from St Kilda and towards the Mornington Peninsula is a cycle and running track.
By walking you will get to see more of the beautiful suburbs of Melbourne city and along the cycle tracks, there are some great places to stop off for a coffee overlooking the ocean.
By train
A train from Melbourne CBD will take 20 minutes on the Sandringham line. You can get this train from Flinders Street Station to Brighton Beach Railway Station and take a 500m to walk via Green Point from Brighton Beach Railway Station.
By car
Driving from the city centre to Brighton takes half an hour, traffic dependent. There is a council car park close to the beach once you get there. DON’T FORGET TO BUY A TICKET! The parking area can be found at the end of Dendy Street.
There are only limited parking spots so make sure you get here early to secure yours.
By bus
If you are staying in the CBD of Melbourne, Victoria, The 216 or 219 bus will take you straight from the city to Brighton.
You can check the latest bus times at Public Transport Victoria.
What To Expect At Brighton Beach Melbourne ❓
Brighton Beach might not be the best in Port Philip Bay but the Bathing boxes make up for it. You can expect a white sandy beach and blueish water with an ice-cream van selling water, ice-creams and diet coke.
The beach can get very crowded due to everyone wanting to take photos of the boxes. We weren’t overly impressed with this beach and carried on along the coastline to find a better beach to relax at. However, you can swim in the sea here as it is very shallow.
If you continue to head south and away from Melbourne city, the beaches get better, the water gets bluer and clearer and the amount of people on the beaches is massively reduced.
Tip:- If you have a dog there is also a dog beach in the Brighton area.
What To Bring To The Bathing Boxes Melbourne 📷
Whether you are only here to take pictures for Instagram or for a day out at the beach, there are a few essentials that you will need to bring. These are the items we keep in our day bag that we take everywhere with us when exploring new places.
- Towel
- Sun-cream
- Wallet – There aren’t any shops along this particular part of the beach other than an ice-cream van (which accepts cards!). Be sure to bring water and your food if you are wanting to spend all day on this beach.
- Camera bag – For is this was a must to get some great shots for this blog.
When To Visit The Brighton Bathing Boxes? 🕐
Due to this being a tourist hot spot, we recommend getting here early. Both of us wanted to get here before the crowds hence why we arrived at 8:30 am. We took pictures and as we were leaving at 9 am the beach was packed with tourists. Certainly noting that if you have a drone, getting here early makes those aerial shots even sweeter!
Putting it into perceptive, the contrast between half an hour!
How Much Do The Brighton Bathing Boxes Cost 💰
Over the years the price of these beach huts has been steadily increasing. Owning a box is seen more as a statement of wealth, although it isn’t much you can do with this sort of property.
It’s for that reason a lot of the Bathing boxes are kept within the family. The Brighton Beach Boxes are only sold to locals of this lavish area with the price tag of $350,000 a box!
That price seems very excessive but it is prime beachfront real estate after all.
Things To Do Near The Bathing Boxes 🏖️
There is so much to do in and around the city of Melbourne. We were lucky enough to live here for a few months and have put together some of our favourite activities to do.
- The Great Ocean Road – We love this stretch of the Victoria Coastline so much we have completed twice. You can take the Klook Great Ocean Road Day Tour which will take you to the National Parks, Rock Formations, and Appollo Bay.
- Melbourne Street Art – The city of Melbourne is famous for its coffee and street art. You can spend the day exploring all the graffiti and art mural’s spread across the city.
- Philip Island – This small island south of Melbourne is not only homed to the Moto GP circuit but one of Melbourne’s most famous residents, the penguin. This tour also includes a visit to Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes.
- Yarra Valley Wine Tour – If you are in Melbourne in the summer then we highly recommend visiting the Yarra Valley for a wine, cheese, and chocolate tasting tour. With the return, transport included you can try as many wines as you like.
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Peninsula Hot Springs – Looking for a relaxing weekend, then you need to visit the Peninsula Hot Springs. The Spa boasts over 20 different experiences and is the perfect place to watch the sunset from.
Melbourne Accommodation 🏠
The suburb of Brighton is one of the most affluent areas around Melbourne which makes accommodation costs high. We have put together a list of our favourite accommodations we stayed in whilst living in Melbourne and have broken them down into three sections.
Budget
Mid-range
Luxury
Pin Our Brighton Bathing Box Guide For Later
What Camera Gear Do We Use
- Main Camera: Panasonic G80
- Go To Lens: Panasonic 12-60mm
- Tripod: Manfrotto Adventure Tripod
- Camera Bag: Manfrotto Backpack
- Underwater Camera: GoPro Hero 8
- Drone: DJI Mavic Pro 2
- Power Bank: Anker Power Bank
- Hardrive: WD 1TB hard drive
