Morphological Development of Coastal Dunes in a Humid Tropical Environment, Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery, North Queensland

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Abstract
Unusually large coastal dune formations occur on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula, North Queensland, an area which experiences a seasonally humid tropical climate. This paper describes the morphology and development of dunes at Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery, north of Cooktown. The dunefield consists of several generations of superimposed parabolic and elongate parabolic dunes, the older members of which are deeply weathered. The large scale of dune development in this area reflects an abundant sand supply from widespread outcrops of Mesozoic sandstones and older granites on the neighbouring part of Cape York Peninsula, and the exposed location of Cape Bedford and Cape Flattery in relation to the prevailing southeasterly winds. Many of the dunes are stabilized at the present day, and the major periods of dune formation appear to have taken place earlier in the Holocene or Pleistocene.