Gunyah Beach

Beach

Gunyah Beach (838) begins 4 km west of Shoal Point and runs for 15.5 km to Point Avoid. It faces southwest for most of it length, curving round in lee of Point Avoid to face southeast. There is a gravel road to a large parking area behind the beach at... Read more

Gunyah Beach (838) begins 4 km west of Shoal Point and runs for 15.5 km to Point Avoid. It faces southwest for most of it length, curving round in lee of Point Avoid to face southeast. There is a gravel road to a large parking area behind the beach at Point Avoid, otherwise the only other access is by 4WD along the treacherous beach. The beach at Point Avoid is moderately protected, with waves averaging less than 1.5 m, however within 1 km of the point the beach is fully exposed and waves average about 2 m and the massive rips and wide surf dominate for the next 14 km (Fig. 4.139). The entire high energy section is also backed by some of the most massive active dunes in Australia, extending in places up to 10 km inland.

Swimming

The Point Avoid section is only moderately hazardous when lower waves prevail, but rips still persist. Most of the beach is extremely hazardous and not suitable for swimming.

Surfing

There are usually an abundance of beach breaks right along the beach, but conditions are often treacherous owing to the strong rips.

Fishing

This beach has the biggest rip holes in Australia, some 200 m across, and is a relatively popular beach fishing location.

General

A high energy, dynamic section of coast, spectacular to see but usually unsafe for swimming.