Broken glass bottles, used condoms and plenty of cigarette butts: Residents in the idyllic seaside town of Noosa despair as their beloved beaches are hit by wild Schoolies celebrations
Broken bottles, used condoms and countless cigarette butts were found strewn across Noosa's iconic Main Beach after thousands of Schoolies descended on the tourist town.
Up to 5,000 teenagers travelled to Queensland's Sunshine Coast over the weekend for a week of wild partying to celebrate finishing their last year of school.
A distinct lack of nightclubs in Noosa meant the the town's beloved beaches have served as the meeting point for many revellers, with residents waking up to find their favourite swimming spots unrecognisable.
One resident who was going for her morning stroll around the town on Tuesday said she was horrified to see a trail of rubbish sprawled across the sand.
'What a shame that on my daily walk around beautiful Noosa I have to spend it dodging broken glass, used condoms, cigarette butts, cream canisters, cans and bottles,' she wrote in a now deleted Facebook post.
'Who allowed this to happen?'
An enormous alcohol-fuelled party on Saturday night resulted in the Main Beach being closed the following morning.
Large areas of the beach were sectioned off to clean up broken glass and rubbish, while Nippers events were cancelled.
More Schoolies than ever set their sights on the Sunshine Coast for 2020 after official events were cancelled on the Gold Coast and flights to Bali and Fiji were grounded due to coronavirus restrictions.
Up to 5,000 17 and 18-year-olds travelled to Noosa over the weekend for a week of wild partying to celebrate finishing their last year of school
Noosa's Main Beach was closed for cleaning on Sunday morning after a wild night of partying left the sand covered in glass and rubbish
But despite the huge masses of teenagers, police say the behaviour has been surprisingly tame.
'These young people are just there to celebrate and I understand there was some concerns around the degree of litter,' Acting District Superintendent Jason Overland said on Monday.
'I've seen some of the social media commentary and I think it's a little unfair.
'From my point of view things are going as well as can be expected.'
There were 25 infringements given out over the weekend but only 16 were related to Schoolies celebrations.
One teen was reportedly fined for assaulting a police horse.
Another resident shared on a Noosa community Facebook page that the Schoolies celebrators were a lot more well behaved than he expected.
Noosa Main Beach is seen covered in rubbish following Schoolies celebrations on Saturday night
'Fourth night of Schoolies Noosa 2020, clearly the largest crowd on the beach but best behaviour displayed so far for the week,' the local wrote.
'Police were tough on the first few nights, and now there has been certainly less offences with the large majority of Schoolies being polite, respectful and thankful for the efforts to keep them safe.
'The local parks aren't littered and are without any damage, and crowd is dispersed at a reasonable time and exit the beach when requested. Tonight a number of girls returned to the beach and began to collect discarded bottles/cans.'
Unearthed messages in the lead up to the event however painted a different picture.
Many discussed throwing huge parties on the beach while others suggested using illicit substances.
'If everyone packs their sh*t and goes to Granite Bay and sets up early... It'd be a mad beach doof and far away for no cops or locals to hear,' one of the school leavers suggested.
Some residents woke to find rubbish strewn across the beach with one saying she spotted used condoms and cigarette butts (pictured Noosa Main Beach)
From November 20, an estimated 5,000 school leavers will descend on Hastings Street and surrounds - after organised events and beach parties were cancelled on the Gold Coast to stem the spread of Covid
Others agreed, while one said Noosa should be prepared for 'mass bush doofs on the beach every night'.
'We can have a massive f**k off rave on the beach... Huge beach doof,' one said in a post.
In a separate post, another teen asked 'who needs bags', which many on the post assumed was a reference to cocaine.
'I'll black out in the national park on a copious amount of substances,' one person responded.
Another reveller asked who would 'come to the Fairy Pools on caps?'. The Noosa Fairy Pools are a short hike away from the main beach and can be extremely dangerous during high tide.
The first week of Schoolies will end on November 28th.