This paper describes four series of physical model experiments conducted to understand the response of the beach to headland structures. Data sets were generated for testing predictive relationships for sand transport in the presence of waves and an external current and testing of model algorithms for simulating salients and tombolos behind nearshore headland structures. The paper summarizes the experiment set up, and data collected in the physical model, processes driving the morphology development, and quantification of the time rate of morphology change behind headland structures as well as the observed sediment transport pathways.