Kiama is one of the great short escapes on the New South Wales South Coast, 90 minutes south of Sydney. The must-sees are the Kiama Blowhole, the 1887 lighthouse on Blowhole Point, the clifftop Kiama Coast Walk and the whale migration from May to November. Beyond those, the area holds Cathedral Rocks, Bombo Headland Quarry, Minnamurra Rainforest and Jamberoo Action Park. Here are the 18 best things to do in Kiama.
1. See the Kiama Blowhole
The number-one drawcard and the largest natural blowhole in the world. On a strong south-easterly swell it fires seawater up to 25 metres into the air, and the viewing platform puts you close enough to feel it. It is free, floodlit after dark, and sits right beside the town centre on Blowhole Point.
The catch is that it does not perform on demand. You want a big south-easterly swell and a high tide. On a flat day you will see very little, which is why it is worth checking the swell before you walk down. See our complete Kiama Blowhole guide for the best times to catch it erupting.
2. Visit the Kiama Lighthouse
Right beside the blowhole, the 1887 Kiama Lighthouse is the town’s most photographed landmark. Entry to the headland is free, the views back over the harbour and south along the coast are superb, and sunrise and sunset are both worth setting an alarm for.
Pair it with the Pilot’s Cottage Museum and the rock pool, all of which sit on the same headland. More in our Kiama Lighthouse guide.
3. Walk the Kiama Coast Walk
The 20km clifftop track links Kiama’s headlands, beaches and rock platforms, running from Minnamurra in the north down to Gerringong in the south. You do not have to do all of it. The track breaks into sections, and the Kiama to Gerringong leg is the one most visitors pick for its cliff scenery.
Go early for the light and the parking. See our Kiama Coastal Walk guide for the route, distances and highlights, and our guide to Kiama’s hidden gems on foot for the quieter detours.
4. Go whale watching in season
From May to November, humpback whales migrate close to the coast, and Kiama’s elevated headlands are among the best land-based vantage points in New South Wales. June and July are peak for the northern migration, and September through November brings the mothers and calves back south, usually closer in and slower.
You do not need a boat. Blowhole Point and the coast walk headlands both work. Our Kiama whale watching guide covers when to go and where to stand.
5. Discover the Little Blowhole
About two kilometres south of town off Tingira Crescent, the Little Blowhole is narrower, more consistent and far quieter than its famous neighbour. Because the channel is tighter, it performs on smaller swells, so on a calm day when the main blowhole is dormant this is often the better show.
There is no cafe, no crowd and limited parking. Locals rate it, and most visitors never find it.
6. Swim at the Blowhole Point Rock Pool
Kiama’s ocean rock pool sits directly below the lighthouse, filled and flushed by the sea. It is free, it is sheltered when the surf is up, and it is the best swim in town when the beaches are messy.
If you like the idea, the coastline holds several more natural pools that are not the main one. Our guide to Kiama’s hidden tidal pools covers where to find them and when it is safe to get in.
7. Spend a day at Surf Beach and Kendalls Beach
Surf Beach is the closest patrolled beach to the town centre and the easy choice for a swim. Kendalls Beach, just south, is smaller, quieter and backed by a grassy reserve, which makes it the better pick with a picnic or small kids.
Both are within a short walk or drive of the centre. If you surf, our guide to the best waves near Kiama covers the breaks, and which Kiama beach is closest compares them on distance.
8. Photograph Cathedral Rocks
A cluster of dramatic sea-sculpted rock formations on the coast between Kiama and Jones Beach, Cathedral Rocks is the shot every landscape photographer comes for. It is at its best in early morning light with swell running.
Treat it with respect. It is a rock platform, it is exposed, and people have been swept off it. Check the tide and the swell, stay well back from the water line, and do not go alone in big seas.
9. Walk the Bombo Headland Quarry
Bombo Headland is a disused basalt quarry just north of Kiama, and the result is a field of tall hexagonal rock columns rising straight out of the headland. It looks less like a beach and more like a film set, which is exactly why it turns up in so many photographs of the region.
It is free and open, reached from Bombo Beach. Sunrise is the standout. Our guide to the best sunrise spots near Kiama covers where to stand and when the sun actually clears the horizon.
10. Take in the view from Saddleback Mountain
A short drive inland, the Saddleback Mountain lookout delivers sweeping views over Kiama, the coastline and the hinterland. On a clear day you can see well down the South Coast. It is sealed road the whole way and there is parking at the top.
Go on a clear day or not at all. In low cloud you will drive up into fog and see nothing.
11. Explore Minnamurra Rainforest
Inside Budderoo National Park, the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre has an elevated boardwalk that loops through subtropical rainforest, with a longer branch climbing to Minnamurra Falls. It is a genuine rainforest, not a garden, and it is one of the few places in the area that is better in the rain.
It is run by NSW National Parks, so there is a vehicle entry fee and set opening hours.
12. Walk the treetops at Illawarra Fly
Up on the escarpment at Knights Hill, the Illawarra Fly is a steel walkway suspended in the rainforest canopy, with a cantilevered lookout and a zipline tour for anyone who wants the adrenaline version. The view runs out over the coastal plain to the sea.
It is a drive rather than a stroll, and it is ticketed. Worth pairing with Minnamurra in one inland day.
13. Take the kids to Jamberoo Action Park
Fifteen minutes inland at Jamberoo, this is the biggest family attraction in the region: water slides, a wave pool, toboggan runs and enough to fill a full day. It runs seasonally rather than year-round, and it books out on hot weekends.
Buy tickets ahead and get there at opening.
14. Shop the Kiama Farmers Market
Held weekly in town, the farmers market is where to pick up South Coast produce, bread, cheese and coffee. If you are self-catering it is the single best reason to have a kitchen, and it is small enough to do properly in half an hour.
15. Browse the Kiama Seaside Markets
A different market to the farmers one, the Seaside Markets run at Black Beach with crafts, food stalls and local makers, right on the water. Check the date before you plan around it, because it does not run every weekend.
Our guide to weekend markets near Kiama covers what is on and when.
16. Step back in time at the Pilot’s Cottage Museum
Perched on Blowhole Point, this small local museum tells the story of Kiama’s maritime and quarrying past, including the basalt trade that carved out Bombo Headland. It is volunteer-run and an easy add-on to the blowhole and lighthouse.
17. Wander the Bonaira Native Gardens
A quiet pocket of native planting away from the tourist route, Bonaira is where locals walk rather than where visitors go. It is free, it is flat, and it is a good half hour when you want green space without a drive.
18. Eat your way around town
Kiama’s cafes, bakeries and seafood spots are a highlight in their own right, clustered along Terralong Street and around the harbour, with the fisherman’s co-op for fish and chips by the water. The dining scene is well above what a town this size usually manages.
See our guide to the best restaurants in Kiama for where to eat, and our guide to wine experiences near Kiama if you want to make a day of it.
Things to do in Kiama when it is raining
Kiama does not shut down in the wet, it just changes shape. The blowhole is often at its most dramatic in a storm swell, and you can watch it from the car park. Minnamurra Rainforest is genuinely better in rain, when the falls run harder and the canopy drips. The Pilot’s Cottage Museum, the cafes along Terralong Street and a long lunch cover the rest.
What to skip in the wet: Saddleback Mountain, which fogs in, and the exposed rock platforms at Cathedral Rocks and Bombo, which get slippery and dangerous.
Things to do in Kiama at night
The blowhole is floodlit after dark and almost empty, which makes it a completely different experience to the daytime crowd. The harbour and Blowhole Point are both easy evening walks, and on a clear night the headland is one of the better spots on the South Coast for stars, with very little light spill once you are away from the centre.
For dinner, Terralong Street and the harbour hold the bulk of the evening options. Book ahead on weekends, because the good rooms are small and they fill.
Things to do in Kiama with kids
Jamberoo Action Park is the full-day option. For a shorter version: the rock pool at Blowhole Point for a safe swim, Kendalls Beach for the grassy reserve behind the sand, the blowhole itself, which children reliably love, and the boardwalk at Minnamurra, which is pram-friendly for most of its loop.
Free things to do in Kiama
Most of the best of Kiama costs nothing. The blowhole, the Little Blowhole, the lighthouse headland, the Kiama Coast Walk, the rock pool, every beach, Bombo Headland Quarry, Cathedral Rocks, the Saddleback lookout and Bonaira Gardens are all free. The paid attractions are Jamberoo, the Illawarra Fly and the national park entry at Minnamurra.
How far is everything from Ridgewaters?
Ridgewaters sits at 2 Surfleet Place, a short walk from the town centre, which is the whole reason to stay in town rather than drive in each day.
On foot from the apartments: the Kiama Blowhole, the lighthouse, the Blowhole Point rock pool and the Pilot’s Cottage Museum, all on the same headland, plus the Terralong Street cafes and restaurants, the harbour and Surf Beach. The Kiama Coast Walk starts from the same stretch of coast.
A short drive: Kendalls Beach, the Little Blowhole off Tingira Crescent, Bombo Headland Quarry and Cathedral Rocks to the north.
A longer drive inland, and worth making a day of: Saddleback Mountain, Jamberoo Action Park, Minnamurra Rainforest and the Illawarra Fly.
More Kiama guides
If you have time beyond the list above, these go deeper: the best fishing spots near Kiama, Kiama’s hidden gems on foot, Kiama’s hidden tidal pools, the best sunrise spots and wine experiences near Kiama.
Where to stay in Kiama
Most of the best of Kiama is walkable once you are based near the centre, and that is the whole argument for staying in town rather than driving in each day. Ridgewaters Kiama offers luxury beachfront apartments a short walk from the blowhole, the lighthouse, the coast walk and the town centre, so you can do most of this list on foot and leave the car parked.
The apartments are self-contained with full kitchens, which pairs well with a farmers market run. See our Kiama holiday apartments and book your stay.
