Ninety Mile Beach

Ninety Mile Beach runs almost unbroken from near Port Albert to Lakes Entrance, about a hundred and fifty kilometres of sand backed by dunes that separate Bass Strait from the Gippsland Lakes behind, one of the longest uninterrupted beaches in the world. Much of it is protected within the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park and the Ninety Mile Beach Marine National Park. Access points are widely spaced, so it is possible to walk for hours without seeing anyone, and the emptiness is the attraction. Surf fishing for salmon and gummy shark is popular, and the dunes hold hooded plovers, a threatened shorebird that nests directly on the sand above the tideline.

What you actually see

• The unbroken sand - a hundred and fifty kilometres of beach with few access points.
• The dune barrier - the sand ridge separating the ocean from the lakes.
• The surf fishing - salmon and shark fishing from the beach.
• The shorebirds - hooded plovers nesting on the open sand.

When to go

December to March for swimming; the water is cold and the beach exposed the rest of the year. Most of the beach is unpatrolled at any time. Fishing is good year-round. Winter storms rework the dunes and can cut access tracks.

Honest expectations

Only short sections are patrolled and rips are strong, so swimming elsewhere is genuinely dangerous. There is no shade and few facilities. Nesting plovers mean dogs and vehicles are restricted in places, and driving on the beach is prohibited in most areas.

Nearby

The Gippsland Lakes lie immediately behind; Lakes Entrance is at the eastern end.