Smoky Bay is, 20 km long, 10 km wide, southwest facing bay, that is bordered by sandy Cape Missiessy in the south, and the calcarenite Cape D’Estrees to the north. In addition the Eyre Islands and associated sandflats block the southern half of the bay, narrowing the northern entrance to 9 km, while the offshore Franklin Islands lying 20 km offshore also reduce waves from the southwest. Only in the northern half does low swell enter the bay, with all the bay beaches dominated by low waves conditions, and most fronted by sandflats and seagrass meadows. The bay’s 35 km of shoreline contains 23 beaches, 16 dominated by tidal and/or sand flats. The small town of Smoky Bay is located just off the highway toward the southern end of the bay, with no other development other than farmland, together with Laura Bay Conservation Park in the north. Cape Missiessy shelters the southern most section of the bay, with about 5 km2 of mangroves in lee of the cape. As the shore swings round to face west low wind waves maintain low energy beaches and sandy tidal flats. Beach 1231, 1232 and 1233 are three very low energy northwest facing beaches lying between Smoky Bay town and the mangroves inn lee of the cape. Beach 1231 is a curving 700 m long high tide sand and shelly beach fronted by 1 km wide tidal flats, with a small tidal creek at the western end, while low calcarenite reefs border the eastern end. read more

Beach Length: 0.7km