The beach is a well-known spot for surfing, swimming, scuba diving, and snorkelling during the summer months.

[10][11] Before British colonisation of South Australia, the Kaurna people occupied the land from the Adelaide plains and southwards down western side of the Fleurieu Peninsula.

[14] The former farmhouses at 5 Barramundi Way and 3726 Main South Road, Symond's Barn at 7 Stewart Avenue and 4-8 Sunset Parade are all listed on the register.

[18] The Washpool is one of few remaining coastal estuarine lagoon systems and wetlands on the coast of greater Adelaide, and provides important habitat for waterbirds (such as the hooded plover[19]) and other flora and fauna.

It is a popular area for birding,[18] and a breeding ground for the endangered yellowish sedge skipper butterfly.

[19] The Washpool area is also a place of great significance for the traditional owners, the Kaurna people,[17] as it is the location of a Tjirbruke (the creator ancestor) freshwater spring, and part of the Dreaming Track dedicated in 1986.