The coast immediately north of Townsville has long been a relatively remote and little used area and today remains much the same. Between the mangrove-fringed Bohle River and Cape Pallarenda is 7 km of sandy and rocky coast, most of which is now contained within the Cape Pallarenda Environmental Park, with little development other than walking tracks. There are seven beaches along this low energy and generally north facing section of coast. There is limited 4WD access to some of the western beaches, with vehicle access to Cape Pallarenda and foot access to the remainder. Shelly Beach (855), as the name suggests, is a 3.1 km long ridge of shelly sand that is slowly growing to the west as a series of low, recurved spits. It faces north and is fronted by 1 to 2 km wide, sandy-shelly tidal flats. As the spit has developed, it has formed a 3 km long, mangrove-filled swamp between the spit and the slopes of the Many Peaks Range. The range is a 3 km long series of hills that rise to over 200 m. read more

Beach Length: 3.1km