Beach WA 123 commences on the western side of the outcrop and curves round slightly to the west for 9.7 km to Dunn Rocks, where it faces southwest in lee of the rocks. Waves remain moderate to high the length of the beach, which results in a 100 m wide, low gradient surf zone, dominated by up to 30 beach rips, as well as a strong permanent rip against the western outcrop and adjoining rocks, and a weaker rip against Dunn Rocks, where waves reduce to about 1 m. The entire beach is backed by pure white active dune transgression, extending up to 1 km inland, then vegetated older transgressive dunes that have spread up to 19 km inland. Several small creeks drain into the dune field and work their wave across the deflation surface to reach the beach during heavy rain (Fig. 4.30). Rossiter Bay is named after Captain Rossiter who commanded the whaler “Mississippi’ which in 1841 provided assistance to Eyre and Wylie on their epic trek to Albany. The name of the ship is also attached to a point and a hill. The bay is an open 9 km wide, southeast-facing embayment, bounded by Dunn Rocks to the north and Mississippi Point to the south. In addition several small islands lie off the western half of the bay, as well as the six Troy Islands, 3 km southeast of Mississippi Point. The result is a moderate energy shoreline in the east, with decreasing waves to the west. read more

Beach Length: 9.7km