southern shore of Port Hacking commences at the tip of Deeban Spit and trends to the east in a series of four curving bays for 3 km to Port Hacking Point, each bay containing a beach (PH 5-8, NSW 339). Deeban Spit (PH 5) is a curving east to northeast-facing 1.2 km long dynamics sand spit, that blocks the entrance to Cabbage Tree Basin. The creek draining the basin is deflected along the rear of the spit for over 1 km. The spit represents the limit of wave dominated sand transport into Port Hacking, and usually receives low refracted swell, with high waves breaking over the extensive tidal sand shoals that extend over 1 km off the beach. The result is a calm to low wave reflective beach fronted by subtidal sand shoals. It terminates at the 200 m wide tidal channel, between the tip of the spit and the northern Burraneer Point. During occasional big sea the waves break right over the spit pushing the sand into the backing Cabbage Tree Basin and adjoining Fishermans Bay. More recently the spit has been artificially heightened by dredged sand. The southern end of the spit ties to the seawall in front of the Bonnie Vale car park in Simpsons Bay. There is good access to Bonnie Vale and the camping area with plenty of parking right behind the beach, and toilet blocks at both sites. For information about camping at Bonnie Vale contact the Royal National Park. Bonnie Vale beach (PH 6) continues immediately east of the seawall-car park, trending to the northeast for 240 m to merge into the rocks of Cabbage Tree Point. This is a dynamic beach that varies in length, width and presence. Like Deeban is it associated with and dependent on the dynamic tidal sand shoals for sand and wave refraction. It is usually a very low energy beach, with occasional pulses of sand moving along the beach and on to Deeban Spit. It is backed by the Bonnie Vale Reserve, part of the Royal National Park. read more

Beach Length: 0.24km