Cleeland Bight forms the Phillip Island boundary to the Eastern Passage to Western Port. It is a 3 km wide, east facing bight, containing 4.7 km of curving sandy beaches, running from the bridge at Newhaven to the rocks of Cape Woolamai. Two low wave beaches occupy most of the bight. The first is Newhaven, which begins at the bridge, faces south-east and extends to the sandy Manuka Point. It is backed by a low dune and the Newhaven Swamp. Road access is available at each end and a caravan park backs the eastern end. Woolamai Safety Beach is, as the name implies, another low wave beach that curves its way south from Manuka Point, then swings south-east toward Cape Woolamai. Esplanade Drive backs the first 1 km of beach after which there is only foot access along the back of the Woolamai sand dunes.
Both beaches receive waves averaging less than 0.5 m, and are exposed to tides reaching over 2 m. Both have relatively steep, narrow beaches with no surf. However at low tide, extensive tidal flats are exposed in front of Newhaven Beach.
Beach Length: 2.3km
General Hazard Rating:
4/10
Patrols
There are currently no services provided by Surf Life Saving Australia for this beach. Please take the time to browse the Surf Safety section of this website to learn more about staying safe when swimming at Australian beaches.
Click here to visit general surf education information.
SLSA provides this information as a guide only. Surf conditions are variable and therefore this information should not be relied upon as a substitute for observation of local conditions and an understanding of your abilities in the surf. SLSA reminds you to always swim between the red and yellow flags and never swim at unpatrolled beaches. SLSA takes all care and responsibility for any translation but it cannot guarantee that all translations will be accurate.