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URQUHART BLUFF BEACH
MBJ
BEAUTIFUL BUT BEWARE
At its best Urquhart Bluff is a great family beach with a wide expanse of sand to build sand castles. The long stretch of beach is great for walks and dogs are allowed at certain times. It is also a great surfing spot. Outer reefs protect it from the full onslaught of large swells. However, when the surf does make it through, there is a great little reef break ideal for surfing. It is usually best at low tide and a number of good beach breaks to choose from. However at its worst Urquhart Bluff is treacherous. It has many dangerous rips that can very quickly drag you out to sea. So be warned, enquire from the locals and don’t swim alone. Urquhart’s Bluff is an interesting place for diving too, as there are many reefs stretching all the way around to Aireys Inlet. Urquhart Bluff was named after William Swan Urquhart, a surveyor who surveyed much of the early colony of Victoria. It’s at Urquhart Bluff that Anglesea’s sandy beaches end. The coastline rises to form cliffs and continues around to Aireys Inlet. The five kilometres of coast between Urquhart Bluff and Table Rock at Fairhaven is dominated by 20 to 50 metre high, eroding bluffs composed of limestone, tuffs, clays and silts. As they erode, they leave rock platforms and reefs. Running along the base of the bluffs are 12 small, exposed beaches, mostly dominated by the headlands, rocks and reefs. A favourite family spot at Urquhart Bluff is Mermaid Pool. This is a large rock about a kilometer west from the car park. At low tide it has small fish trapped in it so becomes a safe place for
children to swim and snorkel. Depending on the weather the pool may be quite deep while at other times it has a lot of sand in it, but there is always a pool big enough for swimming. Many of the beaches are hazardous for swimming, owing to their remote location and lack of Life Saving patrols. This, coupled with the presence of rocks, reefs and permanent rips has resulted in several fatalities over the years. Each of these beaches has good fishing in rip holes and reef gutters. Be very careful at high tide and in bigger seas, as the rocks and some of the beaches are awash. Between May and October whales can often be seen migrating north from the Antarctic.
Surfcoast Taxation Services Pty Ltd Accounting, Taxation and Business Advisers Winchelsea: 22 Willis Street Torquay: 13 Pearl St PO Box 40 PO Box 178 Winchelsea VIC 3241 Torquay VIC 3228
YMCA Camps have been delivering memorable camping experiences to people of all ages and abilities throughout our 150 years. YMCA Camping aims to strengthen communities, help build relationships and assist individuals to gain new skills and independence, whilst developing resilience.
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Anglesea Recreation Camp offers something for everyone. We recognise that groups come in all shapes and sizes. We can accommodate small groups of 15 to large groups of 148 and anything in between. We are flexible in our approach to dietary requirements, program planning and delivery, activities and accessibility to all of our facilities.
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