In 'Surfalism and Sandiotics: The Beach In Oz Popular Culture' (Australian Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 1, No.2, December 1983) John Fiske first gives a detailed reading of a single beach-text, Cottesloe beach. Then, arguing that 'Cottesloe beach is not a complete text on its own [but] rather a quotation from the syntagmatic string of beaches that constitute "The Beach" for this area of Perth', he extends his text to reveal 'a similar set of signifying categories or zones operating vertically rather than horizontally'. Later I shall examine the signifying categories which Fiske sees as operating vertically. First I wish to provide a brief alternative reading of his chosen text, Cottesloe beach, taking account of a dimension he does not discuss in detail - the diachronic, the factor of time.
Fiske's reading of Cottesloe beach, indeed of the 'syntagmatic string of beaches that constitute "The Beach" for this area of Perth', has its own time closure: it is summer, a weekend or holiday, between the hours of 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. My reading is of Cottesloe and North Cottesloe beaches between 6.15 a.m. and 7.30 a.m. on weekdays throughout the year. In my reading, the text contains different characters from those in Fiske's reading, and although the beach remains the same, the characters may be finding different meanings in it.
At North Cottesloe in this diachronic slot the characters are predominantly middle-aged, well educated professional people who live in Cottesloe and neighbouring suburbs. They drive to the beach in good cars, having shaved before leaving home. They wear bathers, a tee-shirt or bathrobe, and thongs. All but the bathers are discarded on the beach or in the changing room prior to the commencement of activities. For the beach at this time is not the place for any of the passive behaviour noted by Fiske. Activities are ritualistic: a jog south to the Cottesloe groyne and back, a few stretching exercises on the way, a swim at North Cottesloe, and then back home for breakfast.
The hardcore of the group, after their swim, shower in the changing rooms. They know each other by first names, but by little more apart from rumour: 'Bill's a judge, you know', or 'Fred's with the symphony orchestra', or 'That bloke with the white beard is the brains behind the Baddy Corporation'. In this pleasant semi-anonymity they share their nakedness under the cold showers, comment perhaps on the new young girl who was on the beach this morning, congratulate each other on their wisdom and fitness which enables them to commence each working day in this healthful way, and generally rejoice in their version of Australian egalitarianism and its macho ethos which brings them together in these circumstances.
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As they jog to Cottesloe they note the group of slightly older ladies who swim near the groyne - or rather who bob about in the gentle water, their bathing caps looking like a cluster of coloured balloons moving with the slight swell. At this time of day Cottesloe is ladies' beach, and the ladies don't jog.
As winter approaches the number of men at North Cottesloe begins to fall away. Known as the 'tourists' by the all-year round swimmers, these drop outs by their absence reinforce the bonds between members of the hard core. Now the talk is about the weather, the state of the sea, and the continuing joke about the 'hot' shower after the cold of the ocean. These are the real people of Cottesloe beach in their own eyes. These are the 'icebreakers'. What meaning do they find in the beach, and how does this compare with the meaning found by the various groups Fiske noticed on a hot summer week-end?
Perhaps in its most general terms it is not very different. Towards the by first name, left a stack of invitations in the changing-room. These were addressed to the 'North Cottesloe Nutcrackers', who were all invited to attend a 'Nutcracker Barbecue' at his Nedlands home on the following Saturday. More evidence of a specific form of egalitarianism? Perhaps, and support also for Fiske's reading of the beach as a physically anomalous category between land (culture) and sea (nature). These middle-aged males, comfortable in their cultural bases, reinforce their cultural values first by daily reasserting their masculinity through their personal challenge with nature, and second by retreating in the company of their peers, with whom they repeatedly overcome nature, to celebrate victory in suburbia. But though the categories of nature/culture are not inapplicable, it is also the case that an analysis in these terms misses the cultural specificity of this other reading of the beach, with its distinct determinants of class, gender and age.
However, Fiske is not convincing when he argues that the text constituted by the set of Perth beaches reveals a similar set of signifying categories or zones, operating vertically as well as horizontally in terms of his schema. Let me summarise his thesis. The beach is 'a physically anomalous category between land and sea... The land becomes culture, the city, civilization; the sea becomes nature, untamed, uncivilized, raw. The beach mediates this terrifying boundary'. This is the horizontal operation of the beach. The vertical operation, says Fiske, shows 'the same physical and conceptual movement from culture to nature, only this time in a movement from culture to nature, only this time in a south to north direction'. Commencing at Cottesloe beach with its prohibition notice, lawn and esplanade, all of which, Fiske argues, are attempts to naturalize culture, Fiske takes us on a journey northwards through North Cottesloe, South Swanbourne and into North Swanbourne. As we travel north and approach raw
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nature, the vestiments of culture are loosened. We move through zones of 'scandalous behaviour' represented by surfboards, dogs and topless women, finally divesting ourselves at Nude Beach.
The author of the text, the beach, is not a named individual but, according to Fiske, 'a historically determined set of community practices that have produced material objects or signs'. Especially important for Fiske's reading are the regulatory notices which exclude from the beach nature on the one hand: 'Surfboards Prohibited', 'Spearguns Prohibited', 'Nude Bathing Prohibited'; and culture on the other: 'Vehicles Prohibited', 'Do Not Litter'. The prohibition of animals (always meaning dogs) seems anomalous, but in Fiske's argument the vertical operation of the signifying zones, that is the move from the southern to the northern beaches, which also represents the progression from culture to nature, is indicated by the removal of restrictions on dogs, surfboards, spear guns, topless and nude bathing.
Fiske's account does not stand up well when subjected to a more empirical form of analysis. But such analysis does itself open the way for an alternative reading of the beach a political reading. Fiske suggests that the author of the beach is 'a historically determined set of community practices'. A political reading, however, will point out that this author is constituted in some way by separate local authorities which control the beaches from Fremantle to City Beach, and which certainly participate meaningfully in writing this aspect of the text made up by this set of beaches. They do this through the regulations and laws they make, and through the notices and signs they display on their sections of the beach. The eight authorities which control these few kilometres of beach differ considerably from each other, just as do the sections of beach under their power. In order to test their contributions to the authorship of the beach, compared with Fiske's proposed author 'a historically determined set of community practices', I shall describe briefly each of these eight authorities.
South Beach is controlled by Fremantle City Council. Fremantle is working class and comprises large communities of Greek and Italians. At local, state and federal levels it consistently returns Labor governments. Fremantle is a large municipality, but the area of beach within its boundaries is comparatively small.
The Port of Fremantle and the popular beach of Leighton to the north are under the control of the Fremantle Port Authority, a statutory government body.
Mosman Park Town Council has responsibility for about 400 metres of rather inaccessible beach to the north of the FPA territory. The beach is not a major consideration for the municipality, which has a very diverse population. Within the boundaries of Mosman Park are a small, intensive, industrial (non-pollutant) area, a region of dense population in cheap high-rise flats and, along the riverfront, some of the most opulent houses in Perth.
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Cottesloe Town Council probably gives more attention to the beach than does any other authority in Perth. This is not surprising since, although the total area of Cottesloe is only four square hectares, it has four and a half kilometres of beach frontage. As well, the beaches of Cottesloe and North Cottesloe are among Perth's most popular. The residents of Cottesloe include large numbers of professionals, pensioners, and students living in rented houses and flats. Residents have been fiercely protective of the life-style of their suburb and have consistently opposed development plans which would bring more tourists and visitors.
Nedlands City Council has responsibility for a small section of beach Swanbourne Beach (named South Swanbourne by Fiske). Nedlands is a large sprawling suburb whose boundaries extend to a couple of kilometres from the centre of Perth. lt includes the University of Western Australia, a major hospital, and some of Perth's prime real estate. It is one of Australia's safest blue-ribbon Liberal seats.
North of Swanbourne Beach for several kilometres is a section of beach, all of which was, until recently, owned by the Commonwealth Government and invested in the Department of Defence and the Army. The northern piece of this land, which abuts the rifle range, remains under Army control. Signs announce that it is both dangerous and illegal to enter this prohibited area.
Several years ago the Commonwealth Government ceded the southern section of the Army beach to the State Government. The Department of Administrative Services of the State Government believes that soon afterwards it transferred control of this section of beach (named North Swanbourne by Fiske) to the Nedlands City Council. But a spokesman for Nedlands Council disclaimed responsibility for this controversial strip - Perth's Nude beach.
North of the Army beach is City beach, controlled by Perth City Council. Perth city is clean, compact, capitalist and car-dominated. Despite the ugliness of the new buildings which have almost completely changed the appearance of this city in the past thirty years, the natural beauty of river and hills has allowed it to remain perhaps Australia's most beautiful city.
In Fiske's terms, culture has made nature natural in Perth. It has done the same thing too in Fremantle, yet Perth and Fremantle are culturally widely separated. Perhaps this indicates the difficulty of seeking a single writer for a text as complicated as this strip of Perth beaches.
To what extent, then, are the texts of these beaches from South beach to City beach written by separate political authorities rather than by 'a historically determined set of community practices'? Fiske determined his set of signifying categories largely through a reading of the
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prohibition notices placed on the beaches by the controlling authorities (see Fiske Figure 6 and compare this with my Figure 1.) Such a reading is liable to error, because the absence of notices does not necessarily indicate the lack of a prohibition. It might instead simply indicate a lower level of use of a particular beach. For example, the prohibition notices on Cottesloe beach, (Fiske Figure 4)apply equally to the less frequented North Cottesloe beach, but not all are repeated there. Prohibited and permitted activities on the various beaches are set out in Figure 1.
The most striking feature shown in Figure 1 is that only one prohibited activity is common to all the beaches. Litter is forbidden absolutely, and signs from south to north warn offenders that they may be fined $400 for discarding their rubbish on the beach.
Interestingly, the only other prohibition notice which threatens a penal ty is that on Swanbourne beach where dog offenders face a fine of $20. Animal prohibition notices far outnumber all other notices oitthe beaches. Regrettably, the relaxation of cultural control that Fiske sees as resulting in dogs and breasts walking certain beaches together, is not a political fact. He mentions Leighton Beach as one of these beaches, yet the Fremantle Port Authority has a specific regulation prohibiting toplessness - and it also bans dogs.
The important prohibition sign at Cottesloe beach has been amended since Fiske wrote his article. No longer are vehicles and spearguns expressly prohibited. But animals, surfboards and nude bathing are still banned, each by a single notice, and all flanked by duplicate notices threatening $400 fines for littering.
Dogs are all right in their place it seems, and Cottesloe provides specific areas for them. A spokesperson for Cottesloe emphasised that all beaches under the Council's control are family beaches, and so toplessness and nudity are banned. There have been occasional problems, but no prosecutions. Offenders brought to the attention of the beach inspector are told to cover up or clear out.
At the southern end of the strip of beaches policy is more relaxed -'Live and let live', according to a Fremantle spokesperson. Dogs are permitted to walk on South beach with their owners. Surfboards are allowed if they do not interfere with swimmers. Going topless and nude are not specifically prohibited by notices, but those who try it are told to desist from their activities if complaints are made. Fremantle, like Cottesloe, regards its territory as a family beach area.
Perth City Council at the northern extremity, like Cottesloe elsewhere , has particular areas set aside for surfboards and dogs. Nudes are not permitted anywhere, but a blind eye is turned on toplessness unless complaints are lodged. Perth is generous to its dogs, with special dog areas at the north and south of its territory, but there are problems because of the inaccessibility of the northern area and the proximity of
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Figure 1. [tba]
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the southern area to the Nude beach. A Perth Council spokesperson referred to problems caused by the intrusion of dogs on to City beach proper because of their owners' reluctance to venture further south for fear of encountering peripherals from the Nude beach. So the conjunction Fiske sees between dogs and breasts is again called into question.
This troublesome clash between the dogs (and their owners) from Perth City territory and the unclothed from the Nude beach occurs on the prohibited Army beach. Clearly both parties must also face the dangers of the rifle range immediately behind the sand dunes. The Army's policy about dogs and nudes on its beach is not clear, despite its total prohibition notices. A few years ago, however, an Army spokesperson told the West Australian that it acted against anyone indulging in activities' in the sandhills, and that the occasional 'funny type' had been flushed from the sandhills by patrolling military police. But the Army's attitude to nude bathers has generally been one of acceptance, 'so long as they do not interfere with the rifle range'.
Nedlands Council looks after Swanbourne Beach. Its notices are perfectly clear: no litter ($400 fine), no dogs, no toplessness or nudity, no surfboards between October and April, no parking in most places, no intruding on adjacent sand dunes. And generally there are no people, apart from the masses who walk through (clothed) on their way to Nude beach.
The Nude beach is in limbo. Perhaps Fiske is right. It is closest of all Perth's beaches to nature, but not because of any vertical progression. Rather it is because culture, as represented by the various political authorities, has shown itself remarkably and delightfully unwilling to impose its restrictions upon it. There are no prohibition signs on Nude beach. Admittedly, the waves are useless for surfboards, the rocks make for difficult and dangerous swimming, the distance is a bit too far to walk the dog, but one can get one's gear off without any risk of being told to cover up.
Accessibility is really the key to understanding the text of the beach. Or rather, accessibility and the related politics of the authorities who control the beach. Fiske ended his northern journey towards nature from culture at the Nude beach, but this beach is what it is because of a political aberration. Had he gone further north to City beach, the forces of culture would have reasserted themselves. At Cottesloe, Fiske found culture most dominant over nature, probably correctly, and for the understandable reason that this is the most accessible and most popular of all Perth's beaches. Yet had he ventured further south he would have found nature reasserting itself at Mosman Park, culture dominant again at Leighton, and nature once more at Fremantle.
So Fiske's thesis of a vertical progression from nature to culture along the beaches does not hold sea water. What about the author of the text of the beach - a historically determined set of community values,
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eight separate municipal or government authorities, or a combination of both? Probably the last. Despite their widely different constituents, the municipalities do not differ greatly in their contribution to the beach text, although gradations can be discerned from the strongly imposed cultural restrictions by Nedlands to the easier acceptance of nature by Fremantle. Predictably perhaps, the Army and the FPA keep nature at bay rather heavily. Nature, naturally, is triumphant where the authorities have been unwilling to agree who is to be its controller.
Don Grant is Principal Lecturer in Australian Studies at WAIT.
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