| Type: | Suburb |
| Thompson Beach | |
| State: | SA |
| Est: | 1997[1] |
| Postcode: | 5501[2] |
| Timezone: | ACST |
| Utc: | +9:30 |
| Timezone-Dst: | ACST |
| Utc-Dst: | +10:30 |
| Dist1: | 56 |
| Dir1: | north |
| Location1: | Adelaide city centre |
| Lga: | Adelaide Plains Council |
| Stategov: | Narungga[3] |
| Fedgov: | Grey[4] |
| Maxtemp: | 22.7 |
| Mintemp: | 11.1 |
| Rainfall: | 430.1 |
| Coordinates: | -34.4864°N 138.2839°W |
| Near-N: | Dublin |
| Near-Ne: | Dublin |
| Near-E: | Dublin |
| Near-Se: | Lower Light |
| Near-S: | Lower Light |
| Near-W: | Gulf St Vincent |
| Footnotes: | Location Coordinates Climate[5] Adjoining localities |
Thompson Beach is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on the eastern coastline of Gulf St Vincent about 56km (35miles) north of the Adelaide city centre.[2] [1] Thompson Beach started as a sub-division in 1980 with boundaries being created in June 1997.[1] Land use with the locality is principally residential with built development being of a ‘low density’.[6] Thompson Beach is located within the federal Division of Grey, the state electoral district of Narungga, and the local government area of the Adelaide Plains Council.[3] [1]
Thompson Beach is particularly known for its blue swimmer crabs, with the prime season being from October to April. The beach has an extremely gradual incline, allowing a fisherman to walk several hundred meters out to sea during low tide while the water remains below knee level: this provides a vast area for crabbing. Special crab rakes are employed to capture these crabs around seagrass patches.[7] It is advised to handle the crabs gently to prevent damage and adhere to strict limits enforced by the PIRSA: a personal daily bag limit of 20 (combined with sand crabs), a daily boat limit of 60 (for groups of 3 or more), and a minimum legal size of 11 cm. Females with external eggs must be released immediately.[8]
In recent years, a greater emphasis has been put on sustainable practices to preserve this ecosystem, encouraging a relaxed approach that minimizes harm to the crabs and their habitat.[9]