Eastern Cape York Peninsula Region

Abstract

The eastern Cape York Peninsula region extends for 2400 km from Cape York south along the tropical Queensland coast to Cape Conway in the Whitsundays. The coast has a variable geology, which plays a major role in coastal orientation, the formation of several large bays and comprises the rocky shore which occupies 50% of the coast. A range of rivers and streams drain the Great Dividing Range which parallels the coast delivering terrigenous material and building deltas along this sediment-rich coast. The climate is humid ranging from monsoonal to tropical to sub-tropical, together with seasonal tropical cyclones. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) shelters the entire coast from ocean swell, with the onshore trades generating short low to moderate seas across the GBR lagoon. Tides are meso, and the coast is dominated by tide-modified beaches in exposed location, tide-dominated in the bays and more sheltered locations together with mangroves along the very sheltered shore and in many inlets. Longshore transport is to the north with many interruptions, and barriers range from cheniers in sheltered bays to massive transgressive dunes in exposed locations. This chapter describes the beaches, barriers and sediment transport along the entire coast set within the framework of sediment compartments.