Toward the southern end of Halifax Bay are the settlements of Toolakea, Bluewater and Jalloonda, separated by Bluewater and Deep Creeks. Toolakea is a narrow, 2 km long settlement at the southern end of Toolakea Beach, and lies 4 km from the highway. A road runs out from the small town of Bluewater, located on the highway, to Bluewater Beach, while Jalloonda is reached via a 6 km long road from the highway at Yabulu, that skirts the north side of 90 m high Mount Saunders. The only store in the three settlements is at Jalloonda.
Saunders Beach (849) is the beach for Jalloonda and the 2 km long settlement parallels the northern end of the 5 km long beach. It is bordered by Deep Creek to the north and the Black River in the south. One kilometre further on, the pipeline from the Yabulu nickel treatment plant crosses under the beach and runs 2 km out into the bay. The 100 m high chimney of the plant is a distinctive landmark. The beach faces north-east and consists of the low gradient high tide beach, fronted by tidal flats off the northern creek and river. The central portion has a 200 m wide, low gradient bar and the usually low waves spill across the wide, shallow surf zone.
Beach Length: 5.5km
Patrols
There are currently no services provided by Surf Life Saving Australia for this beach. Please take the time to browse the Surf Safety section of this website to learn more about staying safe when swimming at Australian beaches.
Click here to visit general surf education information.
SLSA provides this information as a guide only. Surf conditions are variable and therefore this information should not be relied upon as a substitute for observation of local conditions and an understanding of your abilities in the surf. SLSA reminds you to always swim between the red and yellow flags and never swim at unpatrolled beaches. SLSA takes all care and responsibility for any translation but it cannot guarantee that all translations will be accurate.