I have a new obsession: sea glass.
What was once litter – bottles that have been thrown away (and not exactly in an environmentally responsible way) – are smashed into pieces and then polished smooth by the rough and tumble of the ocean. I read somewhere that it can take 20 to 30 years!
I thought it was something that was commonly found on beaches everywhere, but turns out that’s not so.
I love nothing more than a beach walk and exploring rock pools, looking for “treasure” – interesting shells, little fish and other marine life. We did quite a bit of it when we were in Darwin last year, and in addition to lots of lovely shells and stones which we don’t normally see back home, I came across quite a bit of sea glass. How exciting!
I brought a couple of bits home for Miss 27, who is also obsessed and wants to make a jar of sea glass treasure – much like the shell jar I’ve made for our beach shack on Coochiemudlo Island.
However now I wish I’d brought home a stack more, because it turns out sea glass is almost impossible to find in our neck of the woods!
I’ve yet to find any here in the Redlands – on Coochie, at Wellington Point, or Cleveland Point, the seaside areas I visit most frequently.
Thinking back on it, I don’t remember having visited any other havens of sea glass treasure, despite having been to beaches all over Australia over the years.
Nothing at the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast here in Queensland, or even further north such as Blacks Beach near Mackay, or the Whitsundays. We have a trip to Cairns and Port Douglas planned for later this year so I am keen to see if there is any sea glass treasure waiting for me there!
There was no sea glass to be seen at Stockton Beach (Newcastle) or Nambucca Heads in NSW, on Phillip Island or Port Melbourne in Victoria, or Glenelg in South Australia.
It was too cold to swim when we went to Tasmania back in 2001 but that didn’t stop us exploring some of the beautiful shoreline there, from Freycinet Bay to Devonport. But we didn’t notice any sea glass.
We’ve been to Margaret River, Busselton, and many other beaches in Western Australia and: nada. Miss 27 has just returned from a trip to Perth and Fremantle and confirmed there was no sea glass to be found!
It’s possible that at the time I wasn’t specifically looking for it, so I may have missed it. But I think that’s highly unlikely given that I’ve always loved beach combing!
A bit of research online revealed that sea glass is usually found in more rocky areas of shoreline, in areas where there is a strong current; while the best time to look for sea glass is at an extremely low tide – advice I’ve taken to heart on my frequent visits to Coochiemudlo Island, but without success. Any glass I do find is far too raw.
The nearest possible site of interest I could find online is Scarborough in Redcliffe, about an hour’s drive from where we live – so that’s definitely on the agenda!
Updated 25.08.24 – I can report amazing sea glass finds at a couple of places between Cairns and Port Douglas, especially Pebbly Beach and Trinity Beach.
Updated 30.06.25 – We recently visited Caloundra, and I found a couple of nice specimens on rainy day wandering along Shelley Beach.
So I’m curious – do you know of any places that are worth a visit, in my search for sea glass?!
