The inlet is also referred to as a coastal salt lake or a transient estuary, as the sand bar that prevents it discharging is almost always closed.

[1] The inlet is located on the eastern flank of East Mount Barren[2] in the Fitzgerald River National Park and is approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) west of Hopetoun.

The inlet is a wave dominated estuary with a degraded catchment, that is a result of substantial clearing and a saline run-off.

The dunes are breached intermittently, breaking naturally in 1849, 1872,[4] 1919,[4] 1993, 2000,[5] 2016[6] and 2017,[7] and artificially in 1920, each time for a period of 3 to 4 weeks.

The inlet was a river valley prior to 6,500 years ago when a rise in sea levels caused the valley to flood, it would have remained an open estuary until 3,500 years ago when the sand bar at the entrance built up to such a degree that discharge into the ocean was prevented.