NORTH HAVEN NORTH HAVEN SLSC

NORTH HAVEN NORTH HAVEN SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays North Haven beach is the product of a major redevelopment of the northern part of the Adelaide coast. In the 1980s, North Haven Marina development excavated a large marina behind the beach, with two breakwaters to protect the entrance. The North Haven beach is now located between the northern breakwater and the older breakwater for Adelaide s Outer Harbour. The 1.2 km long beach is wedged between the two breakwaters and has been slowly building seaward. Residential development backs the beach, with the North Haven Surf Life Saving Club, a large car park and dunes occupying the beachfront. The beach faces southwest and is composed of fine sand, which, together with the low waves, usually less than 0.5 m has produced a wide, flat, firm beach and a wide, shallow bar attached to the beach. Swimming: This is the safest beach on the Adelaide coast, with usually low wave to calm conditions and no rip currents. Surfing: None, except during a huge ocean swell which can penetrate up the gulf as far as North Haven, where it arrives as a low, 0.5 m swell. Fishing: The boundary breakwaters offer the best locations. Summary: A relatively newly developed beach, with good access and parking, plus the surf club, in a low energy setting. SEMAPHORE, LARGS BAY SEMAPHORE SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays At Point Malcolm the Adelaide coast protrudes more than 1 km seaward. The older suburb of Semaphore is located on the point, which, together with Largs Bay, make up 7 km of continuous residential development. This entire area is situated on the Lefevre Peninsula, a 10 km long and up to 1 km wide accumulation of sand, that has been deposited over the past 6000 years by the northern movement of sand from as far south as Seacliff. This movement is continuing today, the results of which are clearly evident in the wide, low dune fronting the beach, the wide beach and multiple shallow bars. The sand is now accumulating under the jetties and against the North Haven breakwater, where the beach has built out 400 m seaward in the past 20 years. The northern Adelaide coast, showing the continuous strip of sandy beaches and shore parallel bars between Tennyson and North Haven. See inserts for details of Semaphore and North Haven. This section of coast receives only low waves, usually less than 0.5 m. Occasional higher waves are sufficient to rework the fine sand into a wide, low, firm

beach, fronted by two to three shore parallel shallow bars and troughs, extending up to 500 m seaward of the beach. Swimming: This is a relatively safe section of beach owing to the usually low waves and shallow water. Care need be taken with young children, as the water depth varies over the bars and troughs and there are some deeper holes. Surfing: There is usually no surf up here. You need a very strong south westerly or huge ocean swell to push rideable waves up into Largs Bay. Fishing: The jetties are the most popular spots for fishing, as the beaches are very shallow. Summary: A low energy but still dynamic section of beach that is continuing to grow seaward. There is excellent access and large areas of protected dune, plus the beach and bars to play on. HENLEY SLSC GRANGE SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays North of the Torrens River, the coast runs north northwest for 10 km to the protruding sandy Semaphore foreland, then slowly curves into west facing Largs Bay. This entire 16 km of beach is backed by Adelaide s beach suburbs. It is bounded by the Torrens and North Haven breakwaters, with four jetties crossing the beach. Waves average less than 1 m at the southern Henley Beach and decrease even further north of Semaphore. At the same time, the beach has a continuous attached bar, fronted by a trough then a second bar. Past Semaphore and into Largs Bay a third bar is present, however waves only break on the outer bars during higher wind wave conditions. Under normal low wave conditions, these are all relatively safe beaches. Just be aware of the troughs between the bars if swimming out past the inner bar. Henley Beach is an older suburb with a jetty backed by a plaza and the main shopping area. The Henley Surf Life Saving Club is located 100 m south of the jetty. The entire beach is backed by residential development, including a seawall and road paralleling the back of the beach, with a continuous low tide bar attached to the beach. Grange is another older seafront suburb, with a jetty flanked by old terrace houses and a large car park. The Grange Surf Life Saving Club is located just north of the jetty, adjacent to the terrace houses Swimming: This section of coast is relatively safe inshore and on the attached portions of the inner bar. Care must be taken in the trough, particularly if occupied by currents and on the outer bar. Children sometimes get caught on the bars by the rising tide. Surfing: The surf here depends on the winds, with strong westerlies required to produce a sloppy beach break. Occasionally high outside ocean swell reaches the beaches as a low swell. Fishing: Many fishers use the Patawalonga and Torrens boat ramps to launch their boats for outside fishing, while the two jetties and the Patawalonga Creek mouth are the most popular shore locations.

Along the beaches the migrating bars and higher waves produce a range of holes and gutters, which change over time. Summary: A long section of beach with the older Henley and Grange in the centre and newer developments to the north and south. WEST BEACH SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays. West Beach (south) extends from the northern Patawalonga training wall for 1.8 km to the marina breakwater. This beach has been modified in the south by both the training wall, which extends 100 m seaward blocking southerly waves, and the periodic dumping of sand from the build up on the south side of the river. Residential development backs the first kilometre, followed by a sewage treatment works, then a caravan park and marina. The West Beach marina consists of a southern breakwater that provides shelter for the boat ramp. Between the boat ramp and the smaller northern rock groyne is a 50 m long protected sand beach. While this beach is usually calm, it is used for launching boats and jet skis and is often unsuitable and unsafe for swimming because of the boat traffic. The main West Beach faces west and extends for another 2.5 km from the northern marina groyne to the usually closed mouth of the Torrens River. The West Beach Surf Life Saving Club is located at the southern end of the northern residential area, adjacent to the caravan park. Just inside the Torrens breakwater is a large boat ramp which is very popular on weekends. Swimming: The main beach at the surf club offers the best swimming conditions, well clear of the breakwaters, groynes and boat traffic to the south. There are occasional water pollution problems on southern West Beach and at the Torrens River mouth. Surfing: Only during strong onshore winds. Fishing: The training wall, marina breakwater and groyne are all very popular fishing spots. Summary: A beach that has been modified by the river entrance walls and new marina, but still offers 2.5 km of natural beach and the added protection of the patrolled area. GLENELG SLSC Patrols: late October to early April, weekends and public holidays Lifeguard on duty: December to March (Glenelg Brighton) Glenelg is Adelaide s main recreational beach. It is at the end of the tramline and has traditionally been Adelaide s favourite and most accessible beach. It is backed by parks and major hotels and various

recreational facilities, including a marina in the river mouth. The Glenelg Surf Life Saving Club is located in the foreshore park, 200 m north of the jetty. The beach terminates at the Patawalonga breakwater, where the breakwater and an artificial reef off the beach have trapped the sand, causing the beach to build over 100 m seaward. Swimming: The Seacliff to Glenelg beaches provide relatively safe swimming, owing to the usually low waves and continuous shallow bar. However rips occasionally cross the bar, scouring deeper channels. Stay on the inner bar and clear of any deeper troughs. Care must also be taken near the rocks at Seacliff, around the two jetties, at currents, and at occasional breaks in the bar where there are deeper holes. The safest swimming is at the four areas patrolled by the Seacliff, Brighton, Somerton and Glenelg Surf Life Saving Clubs. Surfing: Surf is usually low and sloppy along the Adelaide beaches. A high swell in the south or a strong westerly is required to produce waves over 1 m. Fishing: The jetties attract most Brighton and Glenelg fishers, while Seacliff rock flats are also popular, as is the Glenelg breakwater. The water off the beaches tends to be shallow, with the best fishing at high tide. Summary: This is Adelaide s and South Australia s most popular stretch of beach. It offers good access, a wide range of facilities and relatively safe swimming, with usually little surf. SOMERTON SLSC Patrols: late October to early April, weekends and public holidays Somerton Beach is located north of Brighton Beach, beginning at the Minda dunes and extending for 2 km to the north. The Somerton Surf Life Saving Club is located at the northern end of the Minda dunes. At the surf lifesaving club there is a ramp to the beach, with a rock seawall and beachfront road beginning at the ramp and extending all the way to Glenelg. The beach is typically fronted by a continuous attached bar. BRIGHTON SLSC Patrols: late October to early April, weekends and public holidays Brighton Beach extends 1 km either side of the Brighton jetty. The suburb of Brighton is centred on the 200 m long jetty, which is backed by the main street, while the beach to either side is backed by a seawall and road. The Brighton Surf Life Saving Club is located 200 m south of the jetty on the west side of the road. A ramp provides access down the seawall to the beach. SEACLIFF SLSC

Patrols: late October to early April, weekends and public holidays Seacliff Beach begins amongst the broad rock flats of Marino Rocks. Several hundred metres north of the rocks, the rock flats thin as the sandy beach increases in extent. By Seacliff Surf Life Saving Club and the adjoining Seacliff Sailing Club, the beach has almost replaced the rocks and a sandy beach continues to Glenelg. In the south the beach is backed by a park below the old Seacliff, then a caravan park and the two club houses, with a car park and boat ramp north of the sailing club. A road and housing then back the beach all the way to Brighton. The beach itself consists of a high tide sand beach and fronting rock flats south of the surf club, with a shallow sand bar replacing the rocks to the north. Waves are low in the south, increasing to about 0.5 m past the clubs. The bar is usually continuous and rips are present only during bigger seas. HALLETT COVE Unpatrolled Hallett Cove is a 1 km long break in the 40 to 60 m high cliffs that dominate the coast from Point Curlew to Seacliff. The break forms a natural amphitheatre along the shoreline, within which is a strip of sand called Hallett Cove Beach The sloping land behind the beach has been partly developed for housing, with a park in the centre of the beach reserve for recreation, the Hallett Cove Surf Life Saving Club and a boat ramp. Field River drains across the southern end of the beach. The beach is 1 km long, faces west and is bordered by the cliffs of Curlew Point to the south and Black Cliff to the north. Black Cliff is a famous geological site where ancient glacial remains are clearly visible. It is now part of the Hallett Cove Conservation Park, which includes the northern half of the beach and bordering cliffs. The cliffs at either end are fronted by 50 to 100 m wide intertidal rock flats. These also extend along the length of the beach, where they are only partially covered by sand at high tide. Consequently the beach, while sandy at high tide, is predominantly rock flats and boulders at low tide, with a sand bar seaward of the rocks. The waves, which average 0.5 to 1 m, break over the bar and rock flats, usually maintaining two to three rips across the bar. Swimming: One has to choose the time and place to swim at Hallett Cove. The best time is high tide when most of the rocks are covered by water and the best place is where most sand is available. The northern end of the beach near Black Cliff has less rocky beds and good sand coverage year round and is preferred by most beachgoers. Surfing: This is not a popular spot owing to the dominance of rocks. Fishing: Most fishing is done from the rocks at either end. The boat ramp is really only useable at high tide, owing to the rocks.

Summary: An attractive cove, which unfortunately has lost much of its cover of sand, causing problems for swimmers and surfers. CHRISTIES BEACH SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays Christies Beach occupies the southern third of a 2 km long, west facing beach that extends from Witton Bluff in the south to Curlew Point in the north. The southern half is backed by the growing residential area called Christies Beach, while the northern half is known as O Sullivan Beach and is backed by a sewage treatment works. There is excellent access at Christies Beach, where a road parallels the beach, together with a caravan park and the Christies Beach Surf Life Saving Club. A seawall protects the road, with a ramp to the beach in front of the surf club. Christies Creek flows across the middle of the beach and separates Christies Beach from O Sullivan Beach. The northern sewer works are fronted by a low sand dune, with the breakwater of a boat launching harbour forming the northern boundary. Both beaches receive low ocean swell as well as gulf wind waves, with waves averaging 0.5 to 1 m. This is sufficient to produce a single bar, usually cut by rips every 200 m. The centre of Christies Beach, where the surf club is located, is partly protected by Horseshoe Reef, which lies 300 m offshore. This causes the beach to protrude seaward at this point and receive slightly lower waves Swimming: This is a moderately hazardous beach owing to the common occurrence of rips. The safest swimming is right in front of the surf club, where the waves are usually a little lower and the beach is patrolled in summer. Watch out for rips and stay inshore on the attached portion of the bar. Surfing: This is a popular surfing beach owing to the low ocean swell that commonly reaches here. The swell, bars and rips can produce some reasonable beach breaks. Fishing: The rips produce holes for beach fishing, while there is also rock fishing off the southern Witton Bluff or the northern breakwater. However most fishers use the boat ramp to fish the outer reefs and gulf waters. Summary: A popular beach with some surf and good access and facilities. SOUTH PORT SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public holidays. South Port Surf Life Saving Club patrols the southern 1 km of the 2 km long beach that includes Port Noarlunga Beach The southern section consists of the beach and sand dunes extending up to 200 m inland and then the meandering Onkaparinga River. The river flows out across the very southern end of the beach, against the bluffs and rock flats of Robinson Point. A road parallels the eastern side of the river. To reach the beach requires parking on the main road and walking across a footbridge and the dune, a total distance of 300 m. The surf club is located in the sand dunes 400 m north of the river mouth.

South Port Beach faces almost due west and receives low ocean swell, as well as gulf wind waves. Waves average 0.5 to 1 m and during higher wave conditions produce a double bar system, with three to four rips cutting across the inner and outer bars. During normal low wave conditions, the inner rips tend to infill and a continuous bar is attached to the beach. In addition, the river flows across the southern end of the beach building out a large tidal sand bar, cut by the deeper tidal channel. Swimming: South Port is one of the potentially more energetic of the Adelaide beaches and care should be taken here as rip channels and currents are common. Even during low waves the deeper rip channels may persist. Stay in the patrolled area and clear of the southern tidal channels and any rip holes. Surfing: The more exposed location makes South Port one of the more persistent surfing beaches, with low to moderate waves (0.5 to 1 m) breaking over both the inner and outer bars. Fishing: This is a popular spot with a choice of river, inlet, rock and beach fishing, the latter often into rip gutters and holes. Summary: A relatively natural beach and river mouth, with a more variable surf zone and a chance of bigger waves. MOANA SLSC Patrols: November to March, weekends and public Holidays The beach is relatively wide and flat, with an attached shallow bar, then a trough separating it from a shallow outer bar, the shape of which depends on wave conditions and at times has deep rip channels. Moana receives low swell and westerly wind waves, with waves averaging 0.5 to 1 m. North of the main beach the bluffs gradually increase in height, reaching 20 m at Robinson Point, where reef flats also front the adjoining 2 km long beach that is wedged between the bluffs and the flats. A road runs along the top of the bluffs, with several sloping access tracks down to the narrow beach. Swimming: Moana is a moderately safe beach under normal conditions. However care should be taken if swimming in the trough or on the outer bar, as rip currents may be present. All currents and rips intensify when waves exceed 1 m. Robinson Point is unsuitable for swimming owing to the rock flats, though there are some tidal pools at low tide. Surfing: There are usually low breaks over the inner and outer bars, with higher swell producing a better break. Fishing: There are occasional rip holes, particularly following larger swell and rock fishing off Ochre and Robinson Points. Summary: A popular and accessible beach, which receives some swell and usually has a low surf.

MIDDLETON Unpatrolled At Middleton are the first bedrock outcrops to occur on the coast since Cape Banks 320 km to the southeast. The Middleton residential area backs the 10 m high bluffs, which provide views of both the long Middleton beach as well as the rock dominated Middleton Rocks beach. A sealed road runs along the back of Middleton Rocks beach and the eastern end of Basham Beach, while access to Crockery Bay is from a car park located 300 m west of the beach. Middleton Rocks beach is dominated by dipping metasedimentary rocks which both border and front much of the 400 m long beach, with a central 30 m area clear of rock providing access to the ocean. Waves break across the rock reefs and a permanent rip flows out in front of the sand pocket. There is a car park at the western end of the beach, as well as the car park and facilities on Middleton Point at the eastern end. Swimming: Both Middleton Rocks and Crockery Bay beaches are dominated by rocks and are usually unsuitable for swimming. The eastern end of Basham, away from the rocks, offers the safest swimming area. Surfing: There is no recognised surf at any of these three beaches, although surfers do paddle out from Middleton Rocks during big seas to surf the adjoining Middleton beach breaks. Fishing: The rocks of Middleton Rocks and Commodore Point are the best locations. However, beware of large waves which wash over the rocks. Summary: Three accessible beaches with no facilities. WAITPINGA, PARSONS Unpatrolled Waitpinga Beach is one of the more popular surfing beaches on the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is located 15 km west of Victor Harbor, with a 3 km long sealed road leading from the main road right to the beach. There is a car park behind the dune and an elevated walkway across the dune to the centre of the 3.1 km long beach. The beach is backed by largely vegetated dunes, with Waitpinga Creek and its elongated lagoon behind the centre of the beach. A second parking area is located on the western headland, reached via Parsons Beach Road. The beach faces almost due south, exposing it to persistent high swell which averages about 2 m. Ninety metre high Newland Head forms the eastern boundary, with 40 m high Waitpinga Hill separating it from adjoining Parsons Beach. The combination of high swell and medium sand produces a steep beach and a surf zone dominated by eight to ten large rips, separated by bars which are usually detached from the beach. The alternating bars and rips produce megacusps, large scallops in the beach in lee of the rips and protrusions in lee of the bars. Strong permanent rips run out against each headland, in addition to rocks in the surf for 300 m south of Newland Head.

Parsons Beach, also known as Pareena Beach, lies immediately west of Waitpinga Hill headland and shares a cliff top car park with Waitpinga. There is a walking track from the car park down to the eastern end of the 1.2 km long beach. It receives moderate to high waves, which maintain a 150 m wide surf zone dominated by two permanent rips at either end and one to two central beach rips. Climbing vegetated dunes back the beach, with a small creek draining across the western end. Apart from the car park there are no facilities. Swimming: These are two exposed, usually high wave and always rip dominated beaches. There are deep rip channels and strong rip currents right off the beach. Only swim or surf here if you really know what you are doing and are a very experienced surfer. Surfing: The alternating rips and bars on Waitpinga produce a series of beach breaks which can hold good waves up to 3 m, while Parsons can hold up to about 2 m. However only surf with friends as conditions here can be very hazardous. Fishing: Waitpinga is a very popular spot for beach fishing owing to the deep, persistent rip gutters and holes, together with the rocks at each end. Summary: Two relatively natural and wild beaches backed by rising dunes and a central small lagoon at Waitpinga, and both fronted by the rip dominated surf. They are only suited for experienced surfers, otherwise it is worth the drive out for the view and a walk along the beach. VICTOR HARBOR Unpatrolled Victor Harbor beach is a 1 km long, curving, south facing beach, which usually receives waves averaging about 0.5 m. The entire beach is backed by a foreshore reserve and car parking, then the town of Victor Harbor. The beach usually has low to no surf, with the seagrass growing right to the beach. Swimming: These are four low energy and relatively safe beaches. The most popular are Victor Harbor and the Inman River mouth beaches, which are both backed by large reserves. Surfing: None in the bay, except during big seas when waves break at Victor Harbor beach. Fishing: The Rosetta Head wharf is the most popular shore based spot to fish from, along with the Inman River, particularly when the mouth is open. Summary: Four beaches set in a low energy bay, with excellent access to all and the facilities of Victor Harbor right behind.