A Slice of Greece Down Under: Australia Cliffs Resemble Aegean Island

Australia has banned foreign travel, Australians cannot fly to Greece, but at least they can enjoy diving into turquoise waters off a hidden cliff that resembles an Aegean or Ionian island.

They have been flocking to the scenic landscape, south of Melbourne that looks just like a spot along the Greek coast.

Since uploaded at the end of February, The Wanderlust Times’ video showing swimmers diving into the sea has garnered more than 700,000 ‘likes’.

The location introduced as Melbourne’s ‘hidden gem’ is the Pillars, Mt Martha, in Mornington Peninsula.

@thewanderlusttimes

One of the most beautiful spots in Melbourne 😁 #melbournetodo #melbourneaus #travelaustralia #summerinaus #foryoupage #oceanweek

♬ The Nights – Avicii

Popular among swimmers, cliff jumpers and photographers in search of  shots, the ‘Instagrammable’ destination has been thronged with millennials since the start of summer.

Social media is littered with rave reviews from visitors, with many branding it one of Victoria’s “must see” attractions.

“Proof we don’t need to travel very far for a taste of Europe,” one woman wrote under an Instagram photo of the crystal clear water.

“Glorious spot,” said a second, while a third added: “Major Mediterranean vibes.”

The foreshore area is only a 83km drive from Melbourne, and attracts thousands of visitors each year. But some members of the public have been criticizing the lack of safe access routes to the cliff area of Mount Martha which has been approved as a tourist destination.

Updated signage and the placement of a temporary fence are among measures taken by the Shire in recent years to warn visitors of cliff instability and erosion.

Australia’s ban on foreign travel challenged

Currently, a person can only fly out of Australia if they’ve successfully applied for an exemption from the federal government on compassionate grounds or other compelling need to travel and return.

However, this process has been frustrating for many with online support groups being littered with complaints from people who say they’ve been denied several times.

A libertarian group LibertyWorks took its case to the full bench of the Federal Court on Thursday against the order under the Biosecurity Act that has prevented most Australians from leaving the country without compelling reasons since March last year.

The government hopes to maintain Australia’s relatively low levels of community transmission of the virus by preventing its citizens from becoming infected overseas and bringing variants home. Travel to and from New Zealand has recently been exempted.

With almost one third of Australians born overseas and most barred from leaving the country for more than a year, a win by LibertyWorks is likely to lead to a surge in citizens wishing to travel internationally.

The three judges said at the end of Thursday’s hearing that they will announce their verdicts at a later date.

LibertyWorks President Andrew Cooper said after the hearing that he expected Australians could be free to fly again by the end of May.

“By the government’s own records, they’ve rejected 74,000 applications to travel,” Cooper said. “So we would anticipate there’d be hundreds of thousands of Australians that do want to travel.”