Drinking on the beach?

I have had the privilege of being on many of the world's beaches.

Like the U.S., it is considered breaking the law to have alcohol on the beach in our fine country. In Australia, the parents unfold the blanket, set up the kids and then pop the cork on a bottle of wine. 

Pretty civilized, in my opinion.

When talking with a peace officer, he explained that rowdies and hoodlums are ejected immediately and that the fines for littering beer cans, wine bottles, etc. are very steep, thus eliminating 95 per cent of problems.

Being intoxicated on public beaches is not tolerated either.

In Europe, there are bars on the beach virtually every 100 metres.

Swimming trunks seem to be optional over there, but having a cool beer under the hot sun is the norm. 

Are we afraid of the few drinking to excess so much so that we would rather go without a beer on our beaches indefinitely?

Lock em up for a night, hand them their gear in the morning and advise them they have been issued a fine of for poor choices the day before.

Our southern neighbours have similar rules to us.

Unless it happens to be a major event or festival, the police have far better and more important duties than issuing violations for a beer on the beach. They tend to look the other way unless ofcourse you are being a complete drunken fool in public.

J. Evoy, Lake Country