Gunyah Beach - SA

Gunyah Beach is a remote, raw 15.5 km stretch of high-energy coastline on the ocean side of Coffin Bay National Park. It is dominated by powerful surf, strong rips, and massive active sand dunes extending 10 kilometres inland. Visitors travel here for challenging 4WD dune driving, beachcombing, and productive surf fishing targeting Australian salmon and gummy shark. Casual swimming is highly hazardous and not recommended.The main lookout near Point Avoid is accessible via a conventional unsealed gravel road, but accessing Gunyah Beach itself requires a high-clearance, high-range 4WD vehicle to traverse the steep, sandy, and rocky 4.3 km Gunyah Beach Track. Drivers must lower tyre pressures, carry recovery gear, and fit a sand flag due to narrow single tracks and blind crests. Vehicles are strictly restricted to designated routes and can only drive up to 3 km on either side of where the track meets the sand; driving beyond this point is prohibited to protect crucial seabird breeding areas. Additionally, the Gunyah Beach Sanctuary Zone (part of the Thorny Passage Marine Park) covers the waters starting 3 kilometres southeast of the beach access track, making all recreational and commercial fishing illegal within its boundaries.There is no camping or overnight parking allowed directly on Gunyah Beach or its immediate dunes. The closest camping facilities are located nearby at Yangie Bay Campground (accessible by 2WD, featuring toilets and sheltered sites) or Big Yangie Bay Campground (4WD-only, self-contained required, no toilets). National Park vehicle entry permits ($14.40) and campground bookings must be arranged online prior to arrival via the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia. Further regional planning information is available via the Discover Eyre Peninsula guide.