Schoolies 2020 was a victim of the coronavirus pandemic and while numbers are down significantly, thousands of Year 12 graduates have started arriving in tourist towns across Queensland for the annual rite-of-passage celebration.

The traditional 20,000-strong crowd of revellers in Surfers Paradise has been reduced to a trickle, but a unit of 200 police officers will still patrol the precinct across the week of celebrations – the same as for a typical Schoolies festival.After the introduction of prep into the Queensland school system, almost half of Year 12 graduates this year are over 18, meaning they can legally drink in bars and nightclubs.

THEY’RE HERE: Police on high alert as schoolies hit Coast

Fears as schoolies left to own devices

However, Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said the same penalties would apply for any teens caught misbehaving in public, while officers would also be out in force to ensure COVID-safe measures are being followed in the high-rise apartments notorious for wild parties.Under directions from the Chief Health Officer, overcrowding is prohibited in short-term rental accommodation, with breaches subject to a $1300 fine.
Eye-watering fines facing schoolies
Chief Superintendent Wheeler said officers would be visiting apartments and hotel rooms to ensure the directions were being followed.“We’ve put out warnings and we will be following through,” he said.“We will be looking at any young people who are stacking rooms above the capacity of their agreement.”He said the lack of an official festival with the registration and designated hubs that go with it, had presented a challenging environment for police monitoring this week’s action.“It’s certainly the most unique school leaver periods we have been faced with, but 2020 in general has been particularly challenging.”

Cops’ secret weapon to spy on schoolies

On the Sunshine Coast, Noosa has emerged as the new destination of choice for large numbers of school-leavers, with thousands of teens gathering around the tourist town’s beaches from yesterday morning.Fraser Island has also been a popular choice with teens from across the state descending on the island’s resorts and camping grounds.
Download the Courier Mail app



Source link