Foster Beach (WA 322) is one of the highest energy beaches on the south coast. The 6.5 km long beach faces directly into the southwest waves, which average over 2 m. These combine with the fine-medium sand to maintain a 400-500 m wide surf zone dominated by 12 large beach rips spaced every 500 m together with boundary headland rips. It also faces directly into the prevailing southwest winds which have blown sand up through valleys and over the backing bedrock slopes, which rise rapidly to 100 m, then blown for up to 7 km inland to heights of 180 m, in places reaching the leeward slopes of Dillon Bay and sliding down onto the east-facing rocks. The backing transgressive dune sheet is only partly vegetated, with two active sheets including extensive deflated areas on the slopes, occupying about 700 ha, and the entire sheet covering 3500 ha. The 4WD access track, called the Minarup ‘Road’, reaches the western end of the beach where there is a solitary fishing shack. A 3 km long, 140 m high dune-capped granite headland separates Foster from Reef Beach read more

Beach Length: 6.5km