__NOTOC__ Goolwa Beach is both a locality in the

Australian state The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

located about south of the Adelaide city centre located on land overlooking Encounter Bay on the southern continental coastline, and the name of the 11 km section of beach that runs from Goolwa Beach to the

Murray Mouth Murray Mouth is the point at which the River Murray meets the Southern Ocean. The Murray Mouth's location is changeable. Historical records show that the channel out to sea moves along the sand dunes over time. At times of greater river flow ...

. The name was first used in respect to a private sub-division of land within the cadastral unit of the

Hundred of Goolwa The County of Hindmarsh is one of the 49 cadastral counties of South Australia. It was proclaimed by Governor George Grey in 1842 and named for Governor John Hindmarsh. Description It extends from the Fleurieu Peninsula in the southwest t ...

. Boundaries were created for the “long established name” in 1993 and were “discontinued and re-established in August 2000.” The locality is bounded to the north by Port Elliot Road and to the south by the coastline with Encounter Bay. The western side of the locality is zoned for agricultural use while the eastern side is occupied by an urban area which extends into the adjoining localities of Goolwa and

Goolwa South __NOTOC__ Goolwa South (previously known as South Goolwa) is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located about south of the state capital of Adelaide on both on the southern continental coastline and the south-western coast o ...

. The coastline is zoned for

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

. Goolwa Beach is located within the federal division of Mayo, the state

electoral district of Finniss Finniss is a single-member electoral district for the South Australian House of Assembly. It is named after B. T. Finniss, the first Premier of South Australia. It covers a regional area which includes the localities of Back Valley, Currency ...

and the local government area of the Alexandrina Council. The eastern end of Goolwa Beach has parking, public toilets, a kiosk, and is the site for the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club which was officially opened in October 2019. Immediately behind the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club is a four-wheel drive vehicle access track to Goolwa Beach and the Murray river mouth. Public vehicles are not permitted on the beach to the west of the access track. The beach is composed of fine sand with waves averaging , and is considered one of the most hazardous beaches of South Australia due to persistent high waves, strong currents and the regular formation of rips. A small section of Goolwa Beach near the Goolwa Surf Life Saving Club is patrolled Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at a minimum during the summer season beginning early October and finishing April.

References

Towns in South Australia {{SouthAustralia-geo-stub