Badger Beach (T 1173) is an exposed relatively high energy beach that faces directly into the prevailing westerly winds and wind waves, with an energetic surf zone backed by massive dune transgression. The beach extends for 4.5 km from the eastern side of 220 m high Badger Head to the base of 63 m high West Head, both headlands extending 1-2 km to the northwest. Waves average 1-1.5 m and maintain a narrow moderately steep high tide beach (Fig. 4.262), backed towards the eastern end by cobbles and fronted by a wide low gradient inner bar, grading into a low tide rhythmic transverse bar and rip to rhythmic bar, the entire bar system up to 200 m wide, with the surf zone 100 m wide at low tide (Fig. 4.263). Rips are spaced approximately every 200 m the length of the beach, with up to 20 rips operating during periods of high waves, with their topography remaining during periods of lower waves.
Holocene longwalled parabolic dunes extend up to 2 km in from the centre of the beach to the national park boundary. All but one northern blowout are vegetated and stable. Older Pleistocene transgressive dunes underlie the Holocene dunes and extend 3-4 km in lee of the centre of the beach, with rising ground to either side.
The beach and backing dunes lie inside the national park with access to the southern end via the Badger Head Road, which terminates adjacent to a creek mouth. There are several holiday houses and a recreational camp, located in adjacent freehold land, with a beachfront picnic area in the national park. Walking tracks lead to Badger Head and along the beach to West Head. At West Head a gravel road from Green Beach crosses the rear of the head to a car park that overlooks the northern end of the beach, with foot access down a valley to a boulder shoreline that links to the main beach.
Beach Length: 4.5km
General Hazard Rating:
6/10
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.