Thompson Beach, South Australia

Thompson Beach South Australia
Thompson Beach
Coordinates	34°29′11″S138°17′02″E / 34.48639588°S 138.28388254°E / -34.48639588; 138.28388254
Population	219 (SAL 2021) [1]
Established	1997 [2]
Postcode(s)	5501 [3]
Time zone	ACST (UTC+9:30)
• Summer (DST)	ACST (UTC+10:30)
Location	56 km (35 mi) north of Adelaide city centre
LGA(s)	Adelaide Plains Council [2]
State electorate(s)	Narungga [4]
Federal division(s)	Grey [5]
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 22.7 °C 73 °F 11.1 °C 52 °F 430.1 mm 16.9 in
Suburbs around Thompson Beach: Dublin Dublin Gulf St Vincent Thompson Beach Dublin Lower Light Lower Light
Footnotes	Location [3] Coordinates [2] Climate [6] Adjoining localities [2]

Thompson Beach is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the eastern coastline of Gulf St Vincent about 56 kilometres (35 miles) north of the Adelaide city centre. ^{[3] [2]} Thompson Beach started as a sub-division in 1980 with boundaries being created in June 1997. ^{[2] [7]} Land use with the locality is principally residential with built development being of a ‘low density’. ^[7] Thompson Beach is located within the federal Division of Grey, the state electoral district of Narungga, and the local government area of the Adelaide Plains Council. ^{[4] [2]}

Crabbing

A typical crabber at Thompson Beach. Note the use of a specialised crab rake.

Thompson Beach is particularly known for its blue swimmer crabs, with the prime season being from October to April. The beach has an extremely gradual incline, allowing a fisherman to walk several hundred meters out to sea during low tide while the water remains below knee level: this provides a vast area for crabbing. Special crab rakes are employed to capture these crabs around seagrass patches. ^[8] It is advised to handle the crabs gently to prevent damage and adhere to strict limits enforced by the PIRSA: a personal daily bag limit of 20 (combined with sand crabs), a daily boat limit of 60 (for groups of 3 or more), and a minimum legal size of 11 cm. Females with external eggs must be released immediately. ^[9]

In recent years, a greater emphasis has been put on sustainable practices to preserve this ecosystem, encouraging a relaxed approach that minimizes harm to the crabs and their habitat. ^[10]

See also

• Thompson (disambiguation)

References

Notes

Citations

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Thompson Beach (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022. 
2. "Search result for "Thompson Beach (LOCB)" (Record no SA0062513) with the following layers selected - "Suburbs and Localities"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
3. "(Postcode for) Thompson Beach, South Australia". Postcodes Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
4. Narungga (Map). Electoral District Boundaries Commission. 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
5. "Federal electoral division of Grey, boundary gazetted 20 July 2018". Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
6. "Monthly climate statistics: Summary statistics Edinburgh RAAF". Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
7. "Development Plan, Mallala Council, consolidated May 2014" (PDF). Government of South Australia. pp. 10, 137 and 258–260. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
8. "Fishing, Crabbing & Tide Information". Thompson Beach, South Australia. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
9. Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (14 May 2022). "Blue Swimmer Crab". pir.sa.gov.au. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
10. "Caring For South Australia's Thompson Beach - Samphire Coast". Thompson Beach, South Australia. Retrieved 4 October 2023.