The open, north facing bay between Cape Keppel and Cape Capricorn contains a relatively protected though highly dynamic shoreline, consisting of a series of sandy spits and low beaches, backed by a combination of beach ridges and two tidal creeks. The creeks produce tidal currents and shoals that, together with sand feed around Cape Capricorn, maintain the highly dynamic nature of the bay. During the past 6000 years, a tremendous volume of sediment has been delivered around the cape into this bay, resulting in the shoreline prograding bayward by up to 4 km, leaving behind multiple series of beach ridges and recurved spits in amongst the high tide salt flats. Beach 1400 is a longer version of its northern neighbour; it faces north-east and is up to 4 km long. This beach is also eroding back into extensive mangrove woodlands, with the mangrove mud and stumps outcropping along the beach. It is bordered in the south by a small creek mouth, beyond which is beach 1401, a 3.5 km long, curving, north facing barrier island. This beach consists of a series of recurved spits fronted by up to 2 km of dynamic tidal shoals, including 2 to 3 km long sand spits. As a consequence of the shoals, the beach receives low waves only at high tide, while towards the eastern end it is fringed by mangroves adjacent to the large, 1 km wide creek mouth. read more

Beach Length: 4km