Mallacoota drowning: couple die at Bastion Point

A married couple aged in their 60s drowned at a popular beach near the NSW-Victoria border on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said a man, 60, and a woman, 65, were pulled from the water at Bastion Point, Mallacoota in Victoria at about 3:25pm.

According to local media, the couple, from Pascoe Vale in Melbourne, was visiting family in Mallacoota.

It brings Victoria’s drowning toll to 11 this summer, according to Royal Life Saving Australia.

Mallacoota is a town in Victoria’s East Gippsland, about 500km east of Melbourne.

Bastion Point boasts commanding views and is popular with tourists, however according to BeachSafe it can contain strong rips and has an overall safety rating of 5/10.

BeachSafe also said Bastion Point is not currently patrolled.

Local federal MP Darren Chester said the news was “tragic and traumatic”.

“My thoughts are with their loved ones and the people who rendered assistance,” the member for Gippsland said.

Surf Life Saving Victoria was contacted for comment.

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