The first two beaches lie either side of a tombolo that protrudes 200 m seaward to usually link the low bare O'Hara Island to the coast (Fig. 4.363). The northern Island Beach (NSW 499) is 450 m long, faces northeast and usually has an attached bar cut by 2-3 rips. It lies just 150 m south of Pretty Beach and is backed by a low grassy 50 m wide foredune crossed by two small creeks, then densely vegetated slopes. The southern side of the tombolo consists of a 300 m long southeast-facing beach (NSW 500) which also has an attached bar cut by 1-2 rips, with the low foredune then slopes behind. During big seas the surf zone continues 300 m to the south, past some steep impassable rocky shore to link with the rip-dominated surf of beach NSW 501. This is a relatively straight 200 m long, southeast-facing beach that terminates at the next 150 m long section of rocky shore. It is fully exposed to southerly waves, which average 1.5 m and maintain permanent rips against the rocks at each end, with steep slopes rising from the rear of the sand. On the southern side of the rocks is 100 m long beach NSW 502, a pocket beach bordered and backed by steeply rising slopes. It has a 50 m wide surf zone usually drained by a permanent rip against the southern rocks. read more

Beach Length: 0.3km