Melbourne Beach - Brevade County, Florida, USA.
N 28° 00.656 W 080° 31.823
17R E 546169 N 3098502
A small Beachfront Park on Hwy A1A, called 'Ponce de Leon's Landing' is alongside a Florida Scenic Byway, A1A on the barrier Island. The official beach access to Melbourne Beach from the car park is the most Southerly in Brevard County.
Waymark Code: WMMKPZ
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2014
Views: 6
Melbourne Beach is a town, and a Beach that runs along the Barrier Island, for about 15 miles in Brevard County.
The Atlantic waves crash ashore on this East coast beach. making it a favourite for surfers. A boardwalk makes access to the sands easy.
The turtles come ashore in the night, and their tank like tracks are evident in the daylight.
The landmark feature in this park is a stunning, larger than life bronze sculpture of 'Juan Ponce de Leon' Discoverer of Florida. Located at the possible vicinity of Ponce de Leon's landing on the Atlantic Coast in 1513. He is now believed to have landed at Melbourne Beach, Florida.
The Park also features a 3D Mural showing Ponce de Leon' landing, Florida Historic Sign, and several information plaques, and most importantly rest rooms.
A historic marker located near the sculpture reads as follows:
"While there is disagreement among scholars, it is believed that this site may be in an area where Juan Ponce de Leon made landfall in April 1513. It has long been thought that this event took place near St. Augustine, based upon studies of de Leon's compass headings that did not account for the inability of 16th century navigators to accurately determine longitude, magnetic compass deviations, or the effects of the Gulf Stream and prevailing winds. Professional navigator Douglas Peck re-traced Juan Ponce de Leon's route in a sailboat, however, and found a more likely landing site. Peck, who sailed the same waters for 30 years, has an "intimate geographical knowledge of the route" Juan Ponce de Leon took. When he re-sailed the route at the same time of year as the 1513 voyage, he reached Florida's eastern shore at 28 degrees North Latitude and 80 degrees 29 minutes West Longitude, just south of Melbourne Beach. He can place the accuracy to within 5 to 8 Nautical Miles on either side of this navigational fix. Many historians now conclude that an area south of Melbourne Beach, such as this site, was a more probable location for Juan Ponce de Leon's first landing. This Brevard County Park, Juan Ponce de Leon Landing, was created in 2005."
Type of beach: Natural
Location of beach: Seashore
Beach surface type: Fine sand
Web Address: [Web Link]
Ratings (1-5): 
|
Visit Instructions:Give the date and description of your visit, adding any additional information that you may have about the beach. Additional photos of the beach are highly encouraged. We want to hear about your experience!