1.1 Location and Latitude

Coastal Sand Dunes are obviously located in coastal regions but they are generally found on coasts that experience strong onshore (wind that blows on to the shore from the sea) prevailing winds.
For this reason most Coastal Sand Dune ecosystems are found in the world's temperate and arid tropical climatic zones because these areas are more likely to experience onshore prevailing winds.
In the wet tropical zones, prevailing winds are generally weaker and less able to move the volume of sand required construct large sand dune.
Stockton Bight is located at the mid-point of the New South Wales coast, halfway between Victoria and Queensland. It is 165 kilometres north of Sydney. The Bight extends approximately 31.8 kilometres from Stockton in the south-west to Birubi Point (near Anna Bay) in the north-east (see figure 2.2.1). The approximate mid-point of the Bight has a latitude of 32°50'S and a longitude of 151°53'E.
This places the Stockton Bight Coastal Sand Dunes in a Temperate Latitude.
Furthermore, the Stockton Bight area experiences seasonal strong onshore winds.