WITH thousands of people taking to Warrnambool's main beach this weekend, it was perfect timing for the official unveiling of the surf life saving club's new observation tower.
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Warrnambool Mayor Michael Neoh had the honours of opening the tower, which is located about 10 metres in front of where the old tower stood.
Patrol member Jason Dart said those "extra 10 metres made a huge difference" to swimmer safety.
"We can see the whole beach now," he said.
Patrol captain Anita Carey said the new tower was a lot nicer and better equipped than the previous one.
She also said the timing of the opening couldn't have been better, with Sunday's Tony Ryan Memorial Swim attracting thousands of people to the beach yesterday.
"We had about 350 people in the water and about 2000 on the beach around 11am," Ms Carey said.
Lifesavers in the tower will be assisted during the summer by roving patrols on the beach keeping an eye on people swimming outside the flags and an all-terrain vehicle doing the rounds of Stingray Bay.
