D o l l y - B e a c h
Dolly Beach is perhaps the most impressive beach on Christmas Island. However getting there would require some effort. The spectacular downhill drive from the central plateau, pass Greta Beach, to Dolly Beach car park needs no further introduction. From the car park, its a wonderful two odd kilometres trek through the coastal rainforest to reach Dolly Beach. This trail to Dolly Beach also boasts of having the longest wooden boardwalk on the island. The three most common varieties of land crabs, the Red, the Blue and the Robber Crabs are commonly seen along this forest trail.
Trekking through the forest would finally lead to an area dense with Pandanas palms, a good indicator that one is getting close to the coast, and the sound of crashing waves would welcome you way before Dolly Beach could be sighted. Not to be missed however is the spectacular highpoint vista of Dolly Beach as seen from the cliffs just north of the beach.
Dolly Beach is fringed by a beautiful thicket of coconut palms. It adds perfectly to the atmosphere of being an isolated tropical beach on a paradise isle.
One of the few known locations on the island that turtles come ashore to lay eggs, visitors to Dolly Beach stand a good chance to see turtle tracks on the soft white sands. Both Hawksbill and Green Turtles come here to lay their eggs.
The southern end of the beach is marked by a number of spectacular rock pools. Waves repeated crash over these golden-toned, stony reef edges which hold many interesting marine life within. Red algaes and small hard corals paint different colours across the surfaces, while small fishes dart about within the pools. Moray eels can be seen within some of these pools too.
The only unfortunate problem with Dolly Beach is that it can never be kept permanently clean. As with Greta Beach, Dolly Beach faces the eastern seas, and the currents there are such that a large number of floating sea debris, mainly from Indonesia, gets deposited onto its shores. Masses of old rubber thongs, plastic bottles, drift wood, and other flotsam lands here.
The volcanic origins of Christmas island could be well seen here. Much of the exposed rocks on Dolly Beach is not of limestone, but that of basalt. These almost jet black rocks are very hard and are not easily worn down.
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