Cheviot Beach, Sandy beach at Point Nepean National Park, Australia

Cheviot Beach is a sandy shore along Victoria's coast within Point Nepean National Park, featuring limestone cliffs that rise above the water. Dark sand covers the beach, and at low tide, rock pools teeming with sea creatures become visible along the shoreline.

The beach takes its name from the merchant ship Cheviot, which sank in a severe storm near this coast in 1887 and claimed 35 lives. The wreck remains on the seafloor, marking one of the area's deadliest maritime disasters.

The beach is named after the SS Cheviot, which broke up and sank nearby on 20 October 1887, killing 35 people. On 17 December 1967 Prime Minister Harold Holt went swimming here and disappeared; his body was never recovered. A memorial to Holt stands on Cheviot Hill above the beach.

Swimming is permanently prohibited here due to strong rips, underwater rocks, and dangerous reef formations that become especially hazardous at low tide. Stay on marked trails and avoid climbing the cliffs to keep yourself safe while exploring the area.

Harold Holt reportedly needed a special pass to swim here: Point Nepean was a restricted military area, home to the Australian Army's officer training school, when he disappeared on 17 December 1967. A lookout and memorial to Holt now stand on Cheviot Hill, reached by a self-guided walk from Point Nepean, though there is still no access down to the sand.