Boobyalla Beach (T 1264) is the highest energy beach on the northern Tasmanian coast and one of the few ocean beaches in Australia with a triple bar system (Fig. 4.286). The northwest-facing beach extends for 9.4 km from the dynamic sandy mouth of the Boobyalla River to the southern rocks of Petal Point and forms the eastern shore of the large Ringarooma Bay. The low gradient high tide beach grades into a 150 m wide transverse bar and rip inner bar which maintain up to 45 rips the entire length of the beach, with rips averaging every 200 m. The second bar extends 300 m offshore and ranges from a rhythmic bar and beach to transverse bar rip, with usually a similar number of rips. The outer bar lies 500 m offshore and is usually a shore-parallel dissipative system, which merges with the second bar along the northern 1 km of the beach. The beach is backed by a continuous series of east-trending longwalled parabolic dunes that reach up to 5 km inland. They cover an area of approximately 4,000 ha with about 25% active, the remainder either vegetated deflation basins or stabilised dunes. To the east they abut and in places have climbed dolerite slopes, the highest climbing dunes reaching 143 m. Older Pleistocene dunes extend up to 20 km to the east and in places reach the Musselroe Bay on the east coast. The dunes are drained by two small creeks, which cross the beach. The river mouth area and a 100 m wide strip along the beach are included in the Ringarooma Coastal Reserve. The only vehicle access to the beach is in the north via a 4WD track off the Cape Portland Road. read more

Beach Length: 9.4km