Detailed review by Caradawn
Caradawn
Adelaide, Australia96%
You wouldn't think there was much difference in the shoreline which stretches along the west of Adelaide. Indeed, the natural changes are only subtle with erosion to the south and build up to the north. However, each suburb seems to add its own bit of character to its little stretch of coastline. West Beach is an area which suffers from a little bit of erosion. So in areas where the road and houses come closer to the water, they are protected by a build up of boulders.
The beach here seems to be quite shallow leaving sand bars, so when you walk out the water will get deeper then shallower again. At high tide the water comes quite close in leaving the beach rather narrow and in places it can come right up to the boulders.
The West Beach Surf and Life Saving Club (SLSC) which is practically on the beach has a bar and dining. Behind and to the side of it is a public toilet block and a picnic area which overlooks the sea. There is a fresh water shower just up the boat ramp near the SLSC, but it didn't seem to be working when we were there.
We spent Christmas day on this beach and although it wasn't particularly busy, the life guards were out in force. So this is a well patrolled beach if you are nervous about the ocean. My husband made them a bit jittery when he caught a stingray. One wise young lifeguard was telling the children to keep away because "if it bites you it will kill you"! There was me thinking it was the tail you had to be careful of!? My husband was a little concerned that he had caught it from the sand bar we had been walking on.
I hadn't spotted any stingrays while we were walking on the sandbar, but I had found a small swimmer crab there, which we had a look at while we avoided treading on it. Other sea animals you might spot if you look out to sea are dolphins. We have often seen them swimming by along the coastline. If you're really lucky, they may even put on a bit of a show for you.
West Beach is located south of the Torrens river mouth, which is dry for most of the year. There are car parks at intervals along the road with free parking. The beaches are cleaned regularly and the sea is clear. The sand here is the typical fine white that you get on this stretch of the coastline. Glenelg is just south of West Beach so here we are close to the Waste Water Treatment Plant which discharges into the sea. This along with urban storm water runoff tends to bring the water quality down. It is, however, more of a problem for the ecosystem than recreational users.
There is no jetty on West Beach, so fishing can only be done from the beach. Most water sports seem to be allowed and we saw kite surfers, surfers and canoers.
West Beach7
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