Two storm events occurred in the southwest Pacific Ocean in March and July 2001 and generated large swell from the east–northeast that breached a small barrier complex at Abrahams Bosom Beach on the southeast coast of Australia. Both events breached the barrier and deposited sandy marine sediment more than 150 m into the back-barrier estuary. The sandsheets consist of graded beds that are generally less than 20 mm thick. The periodic storm-generated swells that strike the coast from the north to northeast are not in equilibrium with the ambient setting of north-facing embayments on this coast. Such north-facing embayments are likely to be breached during episodic high-energy events. This project provided an opportunity to determine the sedimentary characteristics of overwash sedimentation in an estuary from the southeast coast of Australia. The overwash deposits also provide a modern analog to assist in the characterisation of other Holocene overwash sandsheets identified from estuaries along the southeast Australian coast.