Barra Velha

Barra Velha is a resort town and county seat of about 30,000 inhabitants in the Northern region of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Its nine beaches extend from the Rio Itapocu in the North to the resort town of Piçarras on its Southern border. Additionally, it is the only resort in the area to have a freshwater lake separated from the ocean by an old sand bar, from which it derives its name.

Located between Joinville and Itajaí on BR-101, the principal north–south highway in Southern Brazil, it is an important resort destination for residents of the industrial region to the North and West of the State, with summer weekend population exceeding 100,000.