Palm Beach

Beach

Palm Beach is a 4 km long, north-east facing beach bordered by Burleigh Heads and Tallebudgera Creek to the north, and Currumbin Point and Currumbin Creek in the south. Both creeks have rock groynes/training walls extending out across the surf zone to form the actual beach ends. The Gold Coast... Read more

Palm Beach is a 4 km long, north-east facing beach bordered by Burleigh Heads and Tallebudgera Creek to the north, and Currumbin Point and Currumbin Creek in the south. Both creeks have rock groynes/training walls extending out across the surf zone to form the actual beach ends. The Gold Coast Highway parallels the beach 200 m inland and numerous side streets provide good access to the length of the beach. The entire beach is backed by beachfront houses and apartments, including several high rises. A continuous seawall has been built to protect this development from cyclone erosion, together with two small groynes toward the centre of the beach. The beach is patrolled by three surf lifesaving clubs, at Tallebudgera in the north, Pacific-North Palm Beach in the centre and Palm Beach to the south, together with lifeguards at all three locations. Waves average 1.5 m along the beach, which have produced a 200 m wide double bar system. The inner bar is usually cut by deep rip channels every 200 to 300 m, in addition to strong permanent rips against the end groynes and smaller rips against the two central groynes. A deep trough parallels the bar, with the outer bar cut by more widely spaced rips. At times, beach erosion cuts the beach back to the seawall.

Swimming

This is a potentially hazardous beach owing to the inner bar rips and is particularly hazardous near any of the rock groynes. Do not swim at the creek mouths, as they have deep tidal channels with strong currents. The safest swimming is in the three patrolled areas, with Tallebudgera providing the best access.

Surfing

There are beach breaks along the length of the beach, both on the inner bar during low waves and on the outer bar during moderate swell.

Fishing

The beach usually provides several rip holes, together with the four groynes and two creeks.

General

Heavy development along this beach tends to restrict access and parking, while the seawall, when exposed, also restricts access to the beach and even the size of the beach, particularly at high tide.