This is my ideal beach. Now, I do admit to some bias on that account because this is probably the very beach which has formed my idea of what a beach should be. However! That in no way detracts from its awesomeness. The sand is soft, the water is clear, the waves are the perfect height for boogie boarding and, while there is a rip, it's hardly a dangerous one just so long as you're aware of it.
Visibility is such that parents could feel quite safe letting their kids have a swim by themselves. There has been a lot of work on re-vegetation along the sand dunes here too which adds an extra element for exploration as well as the water hole/creek just nearby.
Because Carickalinga is still (relatively) undiscovered, standard beach problems like overcrowding and litter are not really an issue here. I feel I should warn any aspiring surfers that this is probably not the beach for catching sweet waves, although I spotted a few people in kayaks who looked like they were having fun. read more