Historically known as the beach where the Balinese fell to the Dutch colonial forces in 1906 and where they also returned in 1946 to try to reestablish control of the island only to be repelled by Balinese resistance forces.  There is also a monument and small altar on this site dedicated to the 107 crash victims of the Pan Am flight that crashed into Gunung Patas in April 1974.

Padang Galak coast is more often used as a place of religious rituals of the Balinese like Ngaben, Melasti, and other religious ceremonies.