Sandy Bay, Gibraltar
Sandy Bay is a small
bay on the eastern side of
Gibraltar, on the far side of the
Rock from the main city. It is situated to the south of
Catalan Bay and is accessible via the
Sir Herbert Miles Road. It was once possible to continue along this road all the way to
Europa Point at the southern tip of
Gibraltar, but in 2002 the government closed the
Dudley Ward Tunnel through the south-eastern part of the Rock due to the continuing danger of
rockfalls.
Directly above Sandy Bay and the coast road are Gibraltar's large Water Catchments which are now disused. The slope on which they sit is an ancient
sand dune with a naturally smooth surface, which was covered in a corrugated
steel sheet and a layer of
concrete.
Rainwater flowed down the side of the Rock into an open channel which fed into Gibraltar's
reservoirs, originally cut into the western side of the Rock between 1898 and 1901. The catchments were built in stages between 1903 and 1961, when the total catchment area was 14 ha (34 acres).
Work started on dismantling the catchment surface in 2001, and as of 2004 the slope is almost entirely covered in grass and other vegetation.