In lee of Gabo Island, a large, sandy, cuspate foreland protrudes over 1 km seaward. Until 1892, it extended another 500 m all the way to Gabo Island; but a major storm in that year washed the spit away. This protrusion forms the eastern end of a 5.2 km long beach, that curves essentially due west to a smaller foreland in lee of Tullaberga Island. The southern orientation exposes the beach to the full forces of the dominant southerly waves, which average over 1.5 m. At the same time, the strong westerly winds blow sand from the beach into a series of blowouts and sand sheets. The beach can only be reached on foot from Mallacoota Inlet (7 km along the beach) or by boat. In 1923, the ship Riverina was wrecked toward the eastern end.
The waves interact with the sand to build a 350 m wide surf zone, containing two shore parallel bars. The inner bar is dominated by alternating attached bars and deep rips every 300 m. A deep trough lies beyond this, then a shore parallel outer bar, cut by occasional rips.
Beach Length: 5.2km
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.