At the Bay of Islands, the Great Ocean Road turns north and leaves the coast. The road at this point forms the eastern boundary of the Bay of Islands Coastal Park, a narrow, 20 km long park that occupies the former foreshore reserve. Most of the park shoreline is composed of limestone and calcarenite bluffs, reefs and sea stacks, with only a few beaches. The first three beaches lie 1 to 1.5 km west of the bend in the road, and the bluffs above the beaches are accessible along the northern park boundary. The three beaches total 300 m in length and all lie at the foot of sheer, 30 m high cliffs, with no access down to the sand. They are narrow, covered in parts by cliff debris, and awash at high tide and in big seas. A large part of the cliff fell on Beach 483 in 1994, burying much of the beach beneath the rubble. They are fronted by scattered reefs and rocks, but still receive waves averaging 1.5 m, resulting in permanent rips next to the reefs. read more

Beach Length: 0.15km