An Australia Day party planned for St Kilda beach has been shut down after tens of thousands of people indicated on Facebook they might attend, attracting the attention of police.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Titled Triple J Hottest 100 Party 2016 at St Kilda Beach, it invited people to "bring a buddy, bring your beers ... this is an open event, spread the word and bring the gang!".
More than 6000 people said they would attend the event, while a further 20,000 people said they were interested in going.
However, Victoria Police became the fun police on Friday and posted a message to organisers informing them they were planning to pay them a visit on the day:
"Hi Jai and Clint. This is Victoria Police. We know this party is not sanctioned by Triple J, so we're assuming you haven't got any permits from Port Phillip Council either? If that's the case, we'll pay you a visit on Australia Day and let's hope we don't spoil your party!"
Organiser Clint White told radio station 3AW the event had "massively" backfired on him.
"Last year there were a couple of hundred people down there … and now it's blown out of control," he said.
Mr White said shutting it down was "probably the best thing" and soon after co-organiser Jai Motherwell did just that.
"Clint and I have been on the phone all morning with media, local councils and the Victorian Police," he said in a post on the Facebook event.
"We have decided to shut this event down. The numbers have blown way out of proportion and you can't trust 20,000 strangers to do the right thing."
Mr Motherwell asked people to respect their decision and share the news that the event was cancelled.
"There are plenty of other parties in St Kilda for Australia Day. Who's keen to catch Fatboy Slim?!" he wrote.
St Kilda Police Inspector Narelle Beer said that the organisers hadn't obtained permits, so Port Phillip Council couldn't ensure amenities, such as toilets, would be provided.
"Having a large number of people of the beach without proper planning can create a lot of hassle for a lot of people," she said.
Inspector Beer said Mr White and Mr Motherwell had been "very responsible" cancelling the party.
She said police encouraged people to visit St Kilda on Australia Day but reminded them of the alcohol ban in public spaces from 5pm.
Inspector Beer said officers would be enforcing the ban so there would be no repeat of the sea of rubbish left on the beach at Christmas.
The council brought forward the alcohol ban from 8pm after an impromptu rave on Christmas night left nearly six tonnes of rubbish, mainly broken glass, strewn across the St Kilda foreshore and South Beach Reserve, angering locals.
The Age reported at the time that council was concerned about the Australia Day party being advertised on Facebook.
Mayor Bernadene Voss said it was unfortunate that "selfish behaviour" had forced the council to start its alcohol ban three hours earlier.
"Public safety is a priority for Council and we cannot ignore the growing problem of broken glass which our clean-up crews are increasingly being confronted with," she said.
"We welcome visitors and appreciate those who do the right thing and bin their rubbish.But it is not fair for ratepayers to foot the bill for a massive clean-up and be unable to safely enjoy Port Phillip's parks and beaches."
The 5pm alcohol ban previously only applied to the St Kilda Botanical Gardens, which had been plagued with trouble on past Australia Days.
The Yarra Council also banned drinking in parts of Edinburgh Gardens on Australia Day after the North Fitzroy park was trashed on New Year's Eve 2013, leaving the council with a clean-up bill of more than $20,000.
