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The best beaches and swimming spots in Wollongong and the Illawarra

Credit: Destination NSW

Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
There are a lot of great places to swim in Wollongong, making it one of NSW’s greatest seaside cities

From sun-drenched sea pools to long, sandy beaches where you can surf or swim under a wide-open sky, here is the ultimate guide to the best beaches and swimming spots in Wollongong and the Illawarra.

In short

Choose Windang Beach for the win if you are in Wollongong with the family. Set at the entrance to Lake Illawarra, this gentle curve of sand is backed by a large grassy foreshore with playgrounds, barbecues and shaded picnic areas. Families can also pitch their tent at Windang Beach Tourist Park, one of the best places to camp in Wollongong.

Austinmer Beach

twin pools at Austinmer Beach
Two rock pools sit at the end of Austinmer Beach. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Families looking for patrolled beaches and dog owners drawn to the off-leash Little Austinmer Beach

This compact stretch of sand is bracketed between two headlands, giving it a sheltered, village-like feel. The beach is patrolled during summer, and there are two rock pools for those looking for a chill swim. When you’re done, wander up to the Headlands Austinmer Beach hotel for a well-earned brew with a view. It’s a great local pub and one we’ve featured in our best bars and pubs in Wollongong guide.

Coledale Beach

beach cricket on Coledale Beach
Coledale Beach is a popular spot with families. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Families who want the option to pull the pin if things go pear-shaped

Patrolled year-round, Coledale Beach ranks as one of the most versatile Wollongong swim spots. Families set up here to play Frisbee and French cricket. The small campground at the southern end of the beach has views of the crashing waves, which adds to the holiday feel. The beach is a popular spot for surfers as it offers consistent right and left-hand breaks. It’s also home to Rosie’s one of the best places for fish and chips in Australia.

Thirroul Beach

surfing at Thirroul
Hit the waves at Thirroul Beach. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Surfers, lap swimmers and holidaymakers flitting between the beach and the local cafes

The wind-whipped one-kilometre-long Thirroul Beach picks up swell from most directions. It’s a popular spot for surfers and day-trippers from Sydney who set up camp near the sandy seafront and make the most of a day dipping in and out of the sea. Swimmers gravitate to the Art Deco Olympic Pool, built in the 1930s, where backstroke laps come with uninterrupted views of the Illawarra Escarpment.

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Windang Beach

Best for: Young families and picnickers

Windang Beach is where Lake Illawarra meets the sea. This gentle curve of sand at the entrance to Lake Illawarra, some 15 kilometres south of Wollongong’s CBD, is a popular spot with families. There is a large foreshore park with a playground, barbecues, and covered picnic areas. The beach also has great views over the famous Five Islands off the Wollongong coastline. It’s one of the best places to swim in Wollongong on a sunny day.

Stanwell Park Beach

the Stanwell Park Beach from above
Sweeping views over Stanwell Park Beach. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Families who want space and seasoned surfers

Stanwell Tops is well known as a place for hang-gliding and paragliding. Take in the views from Lawrence Hargrave Lookout, which offers panoramic views of the coastline, before corkscrewing down to the base of the cliffs. That’s where you will find Stanwell Park Beach, a sheltered cove popular with families who cluster near the barbecues in the park. The scenic Wollongong swim spot is also popular with surfers due to the shifting beach break that works best in an east or northeast swell.

Sandon Point

Sandon Point, Bulli from above
This surf haven stretches 900 metres between Bulli and Waniora points. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for:  Surfers – both first-timers learning to surf and experienced swell chasers

Sandon Point is an exposed point break prized for its clean, consistent waves, particularly through winter. When the swell eases, micro grommets beeline into the shallows at Sandon, often guided onto their first waves by the instructors at Happy Days Surf School or Pines Surfing Academy. It’s one of the best things to do in Wollongong. The beach sweeps for 900 metres between Bulli and Waniora points, so there’s plenty of space for swimmers to spread out on busy days.

Wollongong City Beach

the Wollongong Head Flagstaff Lighthouse
The majestic Wollongong Head Flagstaff Lighthouse overlooks the Tasman Sea. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Families who want an easy day at the beach with playgrounds, rock pools and cafes close by

Wollongong City Beach is one of the city’s most popular beaches. The broad beach that fronts the city curls 3.1 kilometres from Flagstaff Point to the Port Kembla seawall. It’s the city’s most central swimming spot and it’s backed by a foreshore reserve stubbled with coastal grasses. Head to the northern end of the beach in low tide to check for treasures in the rock pools. The beach is adjacent to a park with a playground and picnic tables.

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Woonona Beach

Best for: Cyclists, surfers and lap swimmers

Ride your bike along the Wollongong shared cycleway to check the surf, which works best at the northen end on a northeast swell. Woonona Beach also has a handsome 50-metre pool with diving blocks and a historic Art Deco pavilion. BYO goggles and hedge your bets between a calm lap swim or open-water adventure, before refuelling at one of the local restaurants.

Coalcliff Beach

Best for: Families and those in need of a protected swimming spot

Coalcliff Beach is another coveted spot for families. Whether you’re looking for a calm stretch of sand to build a castle or a sheltered place to swim, the small beach feels protected and intimate. The beach in the northern suburbs of Wollongong is surrounded by craggy cliffs and rock platforms, which make it a popular fishing spot. Swimmers also seek out the beautiful ocean pool tucked beneath the cliffs where dense emerald-green bushland spills down to the sea.

Port Kembla Beach

Best for: Lap swimmers and families with small children

Port Kembla Beach stretches for about 6.6 kilometres, making it popular with joggers who love to run barefoot. We love this beach for its dinky dressing sheds, which were constructed in 1912, and its Olympic-sized pool carved into the northern corner of the cliff face. All up, there are three pools: a toddler’s pool, paddling pool and slightly deeper kiddies pool.  The beach is one of the best places to swim in Wollongong with kids. it is only 11 kilometres from Wollongong’s CBD.

Bulli Rock Pool

the Bulli Rock Pool from above
The 50-metre Bulli Rock Pool dates back to the 1930s. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Best for: Lap swimmers partial to a sunrise dip

Word has well and truly spread about just how good the lifestyle is in Wollongong and the Illawarra. Kick off your day with a few laps at the Bulli Rock Pool where you are bound to meet smug sea-changers. Ask them about their new lifestyle and they will happily tell you they haven’t looked back since shrugging off their big-city stresses. You will want to join them after a few lazy laps in the 50-metre pool, which dates back to the 1930s.

Bellambi Beach

Best for: Early risers and swimmers of mixed ability

Bellambi has a rock pool set into the southern rock shelf of the two-kilometre-long beach, which is a popular spot for swimming, surfing and fishing off the boat ramp. Hire a bike and cycle along the shared pathway, which makes the beach accessible from Wollongong. A small creek runs along the back of the beach and there are a few cafes nearby. Come to the beach early when there is zero swell to see the sunrise and start the day with a refreshing dip.

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
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8 ways to discover a new side of Port Stephens

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
    Continue
    Aussies might think they know what Port Stephens is all about – but it’s time to take another look.

    You might’ve driven through this NSW coast town. Maybe even stopped for fish and chips or a quick dip. But spend a long weekend in the new Port Stephens, and you’ll seriously regret not doing it sooner. We’re talking treks across beaches, reef dives and up-close time with rescued koalas.

    All in all? It only takes a day before you see Port Stephens in a whole new light, and not much longer until it’s locked in as your favourite family destination.

    1. Stockton Sand Dunes

    Port Stephens incredible Stockton Sand Dunes are the largest moving sand mass in the Southern Hemisphere. They shift like an endless magic trick across the Worimi Conservation Lands, a 4200-hectare coastal co-managed by the Traditional Owners.

    Tear over them in a 4WD. Rev through valleys soft as melting ice cream on a quad. Carve down 30-metre slopes on a sandboard. However you choose to cross them, you’re guaranteed a seriously wild ride.

    Four rugged 4WDs kick up trails of golden dust as they charge across the sweeping desert landscape.
    Chase thrills across shifting sands. (Image: Destination NSW)

    2. Scale Tomaree Head Summit Walk

    A short climb through bushland opens up to the coastal drama of Tomaree Head. Spot Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches. See the Fingal Island lighthouse and offshore rookeries where Australia’s rarest seabird, the Gould’s petrel, nests.

    History buffs can’t miss the WWII gun emplacements. And if you’re hiking between May and November, bring binoculars. Travelling whales might just be breaching below.

    Friends enjoying a scenic walk along the Tomaree Head Summit Walk in Tomaree National Park, Port Stephens.
    Climb Tomaree Head for jaw-dropping coastal views. (Image: Destination NSW)

    3. Watch out for whales

    You’ve seen the spouts of migrating humpbacks and southern right whales from shore. Set sail from Nelson Bay to see them up close. Cruise straight into the action, with tail-slaps, barrel rolls and all.

    And they’ve got competition from the local show-offs. Port Stephens bottlenose dolphins leap and play. Some tours even spot pudgy fur seals, spending lazy days soaking up the sun on Cabbage Tree Island.

    A whale’s tail on the sea’s surface.
    Watch for ocean tails. (Image: Destination NSW)

    4. Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary

    Pop into the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary to learn about the rescued koalas who climb, nap, snack and heal in this natural patch of bushland. Wander the immersive Sanctuary Story Walk to discover more about their habits, then head to the SKYwalk – a treetop platform constructed for spotting these eucalyptus-loving locals. Peek into the hospital’s viewing window, where sick or injured koalas may be resting in their recovery enclosures.

    Not enough time around these adorable marsupials? Stay overnight in silk-lined glamping tents.

    Koala sleeping in a tree at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, One Mile
    See koalas in their natural habitat. (Image: Destination NSW)

    5. Diving Port Stephens

    Port Stephens has some of NSW’s best dive spots. At Fly Point, float through sponge gardens and coral castles thick with nudibranchs (AKA sea slugs). Halifax Park has blue gropers and crimson-banded wrasse, while Shoal Bay’s seagrass meadows hide pipefish, cuttlefish and octopus.

    Accessible only by boat, Broughton Island is home to a vast array of marine (and bird) life. Snorkel with blue devilfish and stingrays at sites like The Looking Glass and North Rock. More experienced divers can head out with one of the many PADI-certified operators.

    At nearby Cabbage Tree Island, expect to see shaggy-faced wobbegongs cruising along.

    A couple suited up and ready to dive into adventure.
    Suit up and dive into Port Stephens’ vibrant marine life. (Image: Destination NSW)

    6. Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters

    Not quite ready to dive in? Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters is the perfect way to spot local marine life without getting too deep. But there’s no obnoxious glass tank tapping here. Instead, this interactive aquarium allows guests to wade into natural-style lagoons that mimic the real thing.

    Gently pat Port Jackson and bamboo sharks, hand-feed rays, and feel their sandpapery skin with your fingertips. It is all under expert guidance. If you want to go deeper, pop on a wetsuit and swim alongside tawny nurse sharks, white-tipped reef sharks and zebra sharks in the lagoon.

    Family enjoying an animal feeding experience at Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, Anna Bay.
    Meet the ocean’s friendliest faces at Irukandji. (Image: Destination NSW)

    7. Fish the estuaries

    Fishing fanatics will fall for Port Stephens hook, line and sinker. Here, one of the largest estuary systems in the whole state sees tidal rivers and mangrove ecosystems. Waterfronts are thick with oysters, and residential fish that might include anything from bream, whiting and flathead, to blue swimmer crabs, kingfish and longtail tuna.

    If you prefer to choose your own adventure and fish offshore, you can hire a boat from one of the marinas and set your own course.

    three men fishing on a boat in port stephens
    Join a tour or chart your own fishing trip. (Image: Destination NSW)

    8. Taste new Port Stephens flavours

    With plenty of activity to fill your days, refuelling on delectable cuisine becomes equally important. And Port Stephens answers the call.

    Pop into Holbert’s Oyster Farm for fresh-farmed Port Stephens rock oysters and Pacific oysters, Australian king and tiger prawns, as well as a variety of tasty sauces to try them with.

    Take a group to Atmos for an authentic Greek experience over large shared dishes and Greek-inspired cocktails. Or feast on sea-to-plate, modern Australian dishes at the pet-friendly Restaurant 2317.

    A plate of fresh oysters.
    Slurp your way through the region’s best oysters. (Image: Destination NSW)

    Start planning your Port Stephens getaway at portstephens.org.au.