Corio Bay is a dynamic, sand-filled tidal inlet. It has a 2 km wide mouth between Water Park Point and the low Sandy Point. Sandy Point is the northern spit of the 17 km long Farnborough Beach (1361) and barrier system that has built out up to 3 km seaward and accumulated over 20 km2 of marine beach and dune sands over the past 6000 years. The beach is actually a slightly protruding foreland; a response to wave refraction around North Keppel Island, which lies 11 km offshore. The apex of the foreland is located at the Capricorn International Resort (Fig. 4.77). Today this large accumulation of sand and sandy beaches remains in a natural state for the first 10 km, with the southern 7 km housing the resort and the small settlements of Farnborough and Bangalee. The resort has a low profile and is set well back from the beach; only the access tracks leading to the beach suggest there is more behind the foredune. There is good road access to the three settlements and the resort and a gravel road running up the back of the spit past the extensive mangroves of Corio Bay, as well as 4WD access via Bangalee along the firm beach at low tide. read more

Beach Length: 17km