Aussie reveals scary hidden danger at beachfront cliff: ‘Be careful’
A Melbourne local has raised the alarm about a hidden danger for people walking near cliffs.
Less than an hour's drive from Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is a popular destination for coastal trips, and with that comes a fair share of hazards for those admiring the view from the sea cliffs.
Samuel Alexander, 30, was enjoying a lookout area when he noticed a particularly dangerous spot – so he decided to share what he found with others in a potentially life-saving video.
"Just a heads up if you ever go near the beach where there are cliffs, be aware," he warned on TikTok.
"The cliffs may look safe but if you walk right out to the edge there, you have no idea how far under its been cut away."
Approaching from the side after scoping out the area, he showed how thin the edge of the cliff's surface was, which was otherwise hidden from sight when approached head-on.
"If you would have walked onto that spot that I just showed you, you would be standing on that," he said. "That could snap and give way. It's not a short drop," he said, referring to the rocky beach some 20 metres below.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Mr Alexander said while it's considered common knowledge by some, not everyone has been educated about it.
"This is really important information that can save someone's life and it’s not out there," he said. "Growing up around the beaches, especially in places where there’s erosion, you start to learn by just being in the area."
"A lot of the time there's problems that happen with people who come down, whether they're tourists or people who just don’t live in the area."
Cliff deaths increasing in Australia
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows more people are dying from accidentally falling off cliffs in the country.
Only last week a 24-year-old man plunged to his death when trying to climb the cliff with a friend at Cape Schanck in the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. And only a few days before a 17-year-old boy lost his life falling from a cliff at Coogee Beach in Sydney.
While some areas have fences and signs warning people of safety issues, Mr Alexander said that due to coastlines stretching over long distances there will be "many places where you won't find signage so it's important to be aware of the hazard."
He did however encourage people to "respect fences and signs" which are often ignored. "Those things are put in place for a reason," he said.
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Almost 605,000 people viewed Mr Alexander's video, leaving many shocked.
"Wow I needed to see this," one person commented on TikTok.
"This really should be common knowledge, but it's not unfortunately," said another.
Others also shared their own scary experiences, as well as people they know.
"My aunt died at a gorge because she walked up to the edge and the cliff gave way," one person said. "Very important message."
"I've done this before and a stranger took a photo of me to show how thin the surface was. I had no idea," another said.
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