G’day mate! Headed to Melbourne soon and looking for information on the iconic Brighton Bathing Boxes? Keep on reading — I’m sharing everything you need to know about these colorful and playful beach huts!
Historic Australian beach culture. Uninterrupted golden sand. A laid back coastal suburb. And views of the Melbourne city skyline (off in the distance). What could be better?
Brighton is famous for its strip of rainbow colored bathing boxes, and I KNEW I needed to include them on my Melbourne itinerary (they’re a symbol of the city after all!). I had seen photos of the beach boxes for years, and was ecstatic when I finally made it there myself. I mean, Brighton is Melbourne’s most iconic beach, and who can resist a few cute photos for the ‘gram (or blog in my case)?
And as soon as I got there I was ridiculously giddy – the Brighton Bathing Boxes were a true highlight during my 5 days in Melbourne, not gonna lie (I’m a sucker for color and the beach, so a perfect combo for me).
Nestled in an affluent beach-side suburb of Melbourne on Port Phillip Bay, they’ve become somewhat of a tourist hotspot over the years. I mean, just look at them! So, so colorful and fun, with all different designs and hand painted art on each one.
Brighton Bathing Boxes Logistics
What are the Brighton Bathing Boxes?
Once you see photos of them it’s kinda obvious, but the Brighton Bathing Boxes are those brightly colored wooden beach huts lining the beach in Victoria. And there’s over 90 of them!
They’re absolutely iconic to Melbourne (and honestly, Australia in general), and a must-visit for photographers, friends, and partners – basically anyone looking to take some fun pics!
The beach boxes are made out of timber and weatherboards, and have corrugated iron roofs. They haven’t changed at all from their original design, back when they were built in the early 1900s. Kinda crazy to think they’ve been standing for well over a hundred years (but it makes sense considering how well-loved and cared-for they are by their owners).
Where are the Brighton Bathing Boxes and How to Get There
The colorful beach boxes are only 13km away from Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD), yet feel so far away in Brighton! Which is actually one of the wealthiest areas in all of Melbourne actually.
Squint a bit and you can even see views of Melbourne’s city skyline (although you’ll get better views on the walk from the bathing boxes to St. Kilda).
But despite being called the Brighton Bathing Boxes, they’re actually located at Dendy Street Beach. So make sure you head to the correct spot! I’ve heard of people heading to the actual Brighton Beach and being disappointed when they couldn’t find them. If you head here by mistake, it’s not the end of the world, you’ll just have to do a bit of extra walking (which in the hot sun wouldn’t be ideal if you’re not anticipating the exercise).
Thankfully, getting to Dendy Street Beach for the Brighton Bathing Boxes is pretty simple! Just remember they aren’t in the city center (CBD), so they take a little planning to get to.
Train: There’s a few different ways to get here, but the most economical is by taking the train from the city on the Sandringham Line. From the central Flinders Street Railway Station, the journey takes just about 20 minutes or so to the Middle Brighton stop, where you’ll wanna get off. It’s then a 10-15 minute walk to the beach boxes.
Note that you’ll need to purchase a Myki card (reloadable transit pass) in order to take the train down to the beach boxes. It’s unfortunately too far out of the CBD free zone.
Bus: Catch the 216 or 219 bus right from Melbourne’s Central Business District.
Driving: Coming from Melbourne, it’ll be about a 20-30 minute drive or so (depending on traffic of course). There’s a paid parking lot pretty close to the beach.
Ride shares: I didn’t feel like dealing with the trains in the early AM (I was feeling lazy, haha), so simply took a 30-minute Uber (which cost me about $20 or so). Make sure your driver drops you off at Dendy Street Beach, NOT Brighton Beach. Also check DiDi which is popular in Australia too, and typically less expensive.
When to Visit the Beach Huts
Early — it gets busy over here! Try and arrive on the earlier side before the beach gets overrun with tourists. I arrived around 9:45am (and stayed until 11:30ish or so) and it definitely got way busier later in the morning.
Visit any later in the day and you’ll probably need to wait your turn to take pictures with the most popular beach boxes, like the Australian flag. But there’s so many colorful options so you’ll definitely get some cute pics regardless!
Also, I’d aim to visit on a clear day – in my opinion, the colors of the beach boxes really pop against a blue sky and the turquoise water. I didn’t realize this before visiting, but the sun rises behind the beach boxes (and sets in the water), so you’ll need to angle your photos correctly to get rid of the glare in the morning.
Sunset is another great time to visit, as I heard the beach is stunning and the lighting is perfect for photos of the beach boxes. Unlike other parts of Eastern Australia (where the sun rises on the beach), Brighton and Dendy Street beaches are west facing so you get the sunset in the water.
Brief History of the Brighton Bathing Boxes
Of course they’ve got a fun history! The wooden beach huts were used by local women to have a place to change into their swimsuits for the day – ladies changing sheds if you will. They were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when changing in public was seen as improper. I guess they didn’t want to wear their bathing suits under their clothes like we typically do today…?
Nowadays, the beach boxes are used as not only changing rooms (some things never change!), but storage for the beach (think beach chairs, towels, etc) and shelter to escape that crazy Australian sun (which is necessary if you don’t wanna fry to a crisp).
And there’s still no electricity or running water in them (just like when they were built), and their overall architecture is the same – complete with timber frames, corrugated iron roofs, and weatherboard sidings. However, the beach boxes are surely spruced up a bit – on both the interiors and exteriors. I was able to peek inside a few and oh the owners decorate them so nicely and nautically!
Other FAQs and Info about the Brighton Bathing Boxes
- Can you buy a beach box?! Only if they go on the market, haha! And only if you’re a City of Bayside resident (so no, you can’t buy one if you don’t live nearby). The Brighton Bathing Boxes typically get passed down from generation to generation, so you won’t see them up for sale too often. And when they do… well, they’re quite expensive. The last one sold for almost AUD300,000! Yes, for a wooden hut (with no electricity or running water no less) on the beach. You also can’t live in them or rent them out – they’re strictly to be used for recreation purposes!
- How many bathing boxes are there? There’s 82 official beach boxes lining Dendy Street Beach, and you’ll see them numbered towards the top of each. This helps if you see a photo and wanna make sure you don’t miss that particular one! I could’ve sworn I saw a few in the 90s though, haha.
- Are owners allowed to paint/design the beach boxes however they’d like? I was kinda curious about this too, as I imagine half the fun of owning one is choosing the design! But the Brighton Bathing Box Association has guidelines, although from the looks of it, the guidelines still permit some very fun and playful colors/artwork. It’s evident people take the upkeep of their beach boxes super seriously, so most are in pristine shape! I’d kill to have a cute little structure on the beach that was mine to decorate.
- Beach Facilities: Note that when I visited, there were little to no tourist facilities here – no toilets, no showers, no changing rooms, and even no crosswalk to get to the beach from the other side of the road (be EXTRA careful as there’s lots of passing cars). I heard the bathrooms are under construction, so hopefully they’re up and running for you! Just come prepared as you don’t know what will be open and when. Also, there’s not much food nearby (besides The Baths Middle Brighton), so I recommend heading to St. Kilda afterwards for a meal.
- How long to spend at Dendy Street Beach? As little or as long as you’d like! I spent about 2 hours or so here taking photos of the beach boxes and enjoying the water/finding seashells. If you’re trying to see and do all the things on your Melbourne itinerary, you can easily knock this out in less than an hour. I really enjoyed leisurely wandering up and down the beach (admittedly a few times) admiring them all. Plus, it’s great exercise walking in the sand!
- Cost: 100% FREE! Note you may need to pay for parking, and of course getting yourself there.
- Be respectful and a good human being: The Brighton Bathing Boxes are absolutely free to visit, but remember they’re private property (the beach is public). So please oh please don’t vandalize or trash them, and be extra respectful (this is not the place for kids to be jumping from one to the next). They’ll be locked but you can still take pictures of the outsides.
- Are there other beach boxes in Victoria? Yup – plenty! Over 1,800, haha! The state is known for their colorful beach huts, and we actually visited two other beaches nearby (on the Mornington Peninsula!) with similar beach boxes. But honestly, I enjoyed the Brighton Bathing Boxes way more (probably because I was able to explore at a more leisurely pace since I wasn’t on a tour).
What to do Near the Brighton Bathing Boxes
To be quite honest, besides wadding in the water at Dendy Street Beach and taking (a zillion) photos of the beach boxes, there’s not a ton to do right there. But don’t worry, there’s enough to keep you busy nearby for a full day (or at least a few more hours).
Go for a long walk on the Bayside Walking and Cycling Trail: Once you’re done getting all your photos, you can make the long walk over to St. Kilda Beach via the Bayside Walking and Cycling Trail (running parallel to the beach – meaning great views). You’ll be walking along the beach and water the entire time on a flat, paved trail, and pass some stunning scenery along the way.
I admit I didn’t make it walking the entire way to St. Kilda Beach – it was way too hot and sticky to walk in the sweltering sun for over an hour. An Uber was only a few bucks, and my feet and pale skin definitely thanked me, haha.
St. Kilda: A few km north of Brighton Beach you’ll find St. Kilda, a vibrant suburb known for its stunning beaches, lively atmosphere, and Luna Park! And since the beaches around here are on Port Phillip Bay, the waters are typically pretty calm and bathlike. Perfect for a relaxing dip in the water.
In town, check out the St. Kilda Esplanade Market (held every Sunday), Acland Street with its famous cake shops, Fitzroy Street for its eclectic cafes and restaurants, and the lush greenery of St. Kilda Botanical Gardens. Lots to do here!
If you’ve got time, stay until sunset and head to the pier to see the famous little penguins waddling out of the water (just like we saw at Phillip Island!). One of the cutest moments of my entire life!
Luna Park: Looking for some nostalgic amusement park fun?! Head over to Luna Park, the oldest theme park in Australia (they opened their doors back in 1912)! It’s got a super-distinctive entrance (that large smiling face known as “Mr. Moon”!) and a carnival-like vibe which totally reminded me of Coney Island back in New York City.
Super fun for a few hours – and don’t skip the historic roller coaster, the Scenic Railway. Psst – there’s actually another Luna Park location in Sydney if you don’t have time for the original in Melbourne!
So there ya have it friends – everything you need to know for an epic morning at the Brighton Beach Boxes! Which colorful bathing box is your favorite?!
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