Beach Number:

wa0757

Includes Beaches:

Bunbury Beach

State/Region:

WA - South Bunbury

Post Code:

6230

General Beach Hazard Rating:

3/10 ( Least hazardous)

Beach

Bunbury Beach (WA 757) commences 12 km south of Bunbury city at the Five Mile Brook drains and trends to the north-northwest for 12.5 km to Rocky Point. The northern 4 km is known successively as Mindalong, Hasties St, Hungry Hollow and finally Ocean Beach. This is the main surfing beach for Bunbury and site of the Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club, which is located just south of Rocky Point (Fig. 4.157). The Surf Club is one of the oldest in Australia, and the third oldest in Western Australia and one of the oldest in Australia, having been founded in 1915. The beach is a near continuation of the long stretch of sand that extends north from Busselton. It receives waves averaging 0.5-1 m, which usually maintain a 50 m wide low tide terrace, cut by occasional rips (Fig.4.158). The beach commences at the Five Mile Brook drains and trends north for 12.5 km with little development, apart from one access road. It is backed by vegetated blowouts and parabolic dunes rising to 30 m and extending up to 1 km inland. Development of the coast commences 6 km south of the town centre, with Ocean Drive paralleling the shore for 4 km to the south of Rocky Point. This scenic drive provides good parking and access for 3 km south of the Surf Club. A number of rocky reefs are located along the beach, including either end of the Surf Club beach section. The Surf Club is surrounded by a long car park and fronted by a seawall.
The beach faces west and receives protection from both Cape Naturaliste 50 km to the southwest and beachrock reefs that lie off the beach. Consequently ocean waves average less than 1 m. These produce a relatively steep beach, often fronted by a low tide terrace. While the beach is usually free of rips permanent rips are located adjacent to the rocky sections.
Rocky Point is a 700 m long section of exposed beachrock that continues north of Bunbury’s Ocean Beach. The point and adjacent Casuarina Point form a major inflection in the shore, to the lee of which the Bunbury was established in 1841, with the first jetty constructed in 1864. It was gradually lengthen to 1.5 km by 1952. In the 1960’s to provide more protection and improve the port Casuarina Point was extended 1.5 km northward a rock breakwater to form the outer harbour and in the process create a new shoreline that contains four additional beaches (WA 759-762). The inner harbour was opened in 1976