Kiama beaches, a guide from Jones Beach to Seven Mile

Compare Kiama beaches at a glance

Kiama's coastline is a string of short beaches between basalt headlands, with longer stretches of sand to the north at Bombo and to the south at Werri and Seven Mile. This guide covers eight of them, from the two pocket beaches closest to our apartments to the national park beach at Gerroa. Walk and drive times are measured from Kiama Ridge Waters at 2 Surfleet Place, and patrol dates come from Kiama Council's 2026 to 2027 timetable.

Off-leash times for dogs are sunrise to sunset. Patrol dates change every season, so check the council patrol timetable before you go.

Walk to Easts Beach, the closest to the apartments

Easts Beach is the southernmost of Kiama's beaches and the one nearest Kiama Ridge Waters, a 15-minute walk (1.3 km) from the door. Destination Kiama describes it as sheltered from much of the wind and swell, and Munna Munnora Creek at the southern end gives small children a shallow place to splash while older kids swim in the surf.

There is no car park on the sand. Park on Ocean Road, Marsden Street or Tingira Avenue and walk down. Destination Kiama notes the beach does not cater for people with access needs. The holiday park sits in the valley behind it, and the Little Blowhole and Bonaira Native Gardens are a short walk away.

Council lifeguards patrol Easts every day from 21 December to 31 January and on weekends in February. Our Easts Beach guide has the full detail.

Take young kids to Kendalls Beach

Kendalls Beach is a small, quiet beach just south of Kiama Surf Beach and a 16-minute walk (1.4 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters. Destination Kiama says its shallow water and gentle waves suit young children and less confident swimmers, because the headlands of Kendalls Point and Kaleula Head keep the surf generally free of rips.

It is also one of the better-equipped beaches in town. Kiama Council lists toilets including an accessible toilet, showers, a playground, picnic tables, BBQs and paved paths, with parking off O'Keefe Place. The beach sits in front of Kendall's on the Beach Holiday Park, and Chapman Point Reserve at the northern end is a venue for sport and events. Destination Kiama notes it actively welcomes people with access needs.

Calm does not mean risk-free. Council lists Kendalls as a drowning black spot and has installed an Emergency Relay Beacon there with Surf Life Saving NSW. Press it and you are connected to the Surf Life Saving NSW operations centre, while the nearest lifesaver or lifeguard gets a text alert. Lifeguards patrol every day from 22 December to 30 January and on weekends in February, so plan swims with toddlers around those dates.

Kendalls is not dog-friendly. Destination Kiama points dog owners to the off-leash area at Kaleula Head Reserve, reached via Gwinganna Avenue and about a five-minute walk away.

Swim between the flags at Kiama Surf Beach

Kiama Surf Beach, at 74 Manning Street, is the main beach in town and about a 24-minute walk (2 km) from the apartments. It sits between Surf Beach Holiday Park to the south and Kiama Showground to the north, with Coronation Park playground, toilets including an accessible toilet, showers, BBQs and undercover picnic tables behind the sand.

It has the longest patrol season of any Kiama beach. Council lifeguards cover weekdays from 28 September to 23 April, and Kiama Surf Life Saving Club volunteers patrol weekends and public holidays from 26 September to 25 April. Council says a beach wheelchair is available from the surf club during patrol hours.

Dogs are not allowed on Surf Beach. Destination Kiama points to the off-leash areas on Kaleula and Marsden headlands nearby. For water quality after rain, check Beachwatch for Surf Beach Kiama.

Snorkel and swim laps at Black Beach

Black Beach takes its name from the black basalt sand and cobbles on its shore. It sits between Kiama Harbour and the town centre, close to the 1878 Kiama Post Office and a memorial to the SS Bombo, now a dive site. Destination Kiama says it draws more snorkellers than swimmers, and the grassy Black Beach Reserve behind it has picnic areas, toilets and a granite ping-pong table.

For a proper swim, use the ocean pools on either side. The Black Beach Continental rock pool, also called the Olympic Pool, is 50 m long at the northern end of the reserve off Shoalhaven Street, with disability access. A cliff shades it, which council says makes it a good summer swim but a cold one the rest of the year. Black Beach also hosts markets on the third Sunday of the month.

It is about a 30-minute walk (2.5 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters. See our guides to Kiama rock pools, Kiama Harbour and fishing around the harbour.

Surf Bombo Beach and walk to the Boneyard

Bombo Beach is a 1,200 m stretch of sand linking central Kiama with Kiama Downs. Visit NSW describes it as mainly a surfing beach, with strong rips that can make swimming hazardous, so it is one for experienced surfers rather than small children. Council lifeguards patrol North Bombo every day from 21 December to 31 January and on weekends in February.

Bombo is the easiest beach to reach by train. Visit NSW notes that the station is just metres from the sand and the beach is easy to reach by public transport from Sydney and Wollongong. From the apartments it is about an 8-minute drive (7 km) or a 50-minute walk (4.1 km).

Bombo Headland at the northern end has the old quarry and, on the other side, the hexagonal basalt columns known as The Boneyard, home to Cathedral Rock. Read our Bombo guide and Cathedral Rocks guide before you go.

Dogs can run off-leash in the centre of Bombo Beach from sunrise to sunset. Kiama Council's Bombo Headland off-leash and dog agility park is off Cliff Drive, Kiama Downs, with views of Cathedral Rocks, Jones Beach and Minnamurra Headland.

Pick Jones Beach at Kiama Downs for mixed abilities

Jones Beach, on North Kiama Drive at Kiama Downs, sits between Minnamurra Headland and the basalt columns of Cathedral Rocks. Destination Kiama says it offers swimming and surfing for people of all abilities. Surfers head to the northern end for left-handers running off the rocks, and the southern end is protected from southerly winds.

There is a carpark, a picnic area and a public toilet. Kiama Downs Surf Life Saving Club volunteers patrol on weekends and public holidays from 26 September to 25 April, and council lifeguards add weekday patrols from 21 December to 29 January. It is about a 9-minute drive (8 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters.

The southern end of Jones Beach is an off-leash dog area from sunrise to sunset. Enter and leave only by the beach access track. For the river mouth and rainforest nearby, see our Minnamurra guide.

Spend a day at Werri Beach in Gerringong

Werri Beach, on Pacific Avenue at Gerringong, has a lagoon at the northern end and an ocean pool at the southern end. Destination Kiama notes consistent surf breaks at both ends: the south point breaks over a rocky reef, and a reliable wave often forms in front of the Werri Beach Fish Shop, about three-quarters of the way down the beach. There is a carpark, a kiosk, a picnic area and public toilets.

Gerringong Surf Life Saving Club volunteers patrol on weekends and public holidays from 26 September to 25 April, council lifeguards add weekdays from 21 December to 29 January, and there are patrols through the Easter school holidays from 12 to 23 April. Dogs can go off-leash in the signed middle section of the beach from sunrise to sunset.

Werri is about an 8-minute drive (8 km) from the apartments, or the end of the Coast Walk's South Section if you are walking. Read our Werri Beach guide and Gerringong guide for food and lookouts.

Find space at Seven Mile Beach, Gerroa

Seven Mile Beach lies inside Seven Mile Beach National Park, which runs from Gerroa to Shoalhaven Heads. NSW National Parks lists swimming, surfing, fishing and picnicking, and the Beach Road picnic area has picnic tables on a grassy clearing, space for beach cricket and barbecues, and a lookout with ocean views. The park is always open but can close in bad weather or high fire danger.

Council lifeguards patrol Seven Mile Beach every day from 21 December to 31 January and on weekends in February. It is not dog-friendly, but Black Head Reserve at Gerroa, a few minutes away, is a 24-hour off-leash area. Gerroa is about a 13-minute drive (12 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters. See our Seven Mile Beach guide and Gerroa guide.

Choose the right Kiama beach for your group

• Toddlers and young kids: Kendalls Beach, the creek end of Easts Beach, or the Black Beach Continental rock pool in summer.
• Patrolled swimming outside summer holidays: Kiama Surf Beach, then Jones and Werri on weekends from late September to late April.
• Surfers: Bombo, the north end of Jones, and both ends of Werri.
• Dogs: the centre of Bombo, the south end of Jones and the middle of Werri, sunrise to sunset.
• Arriving by train: Bombo, metres from Bombo station.
• Snorkelling: Black Beach, between the harbour and town.
• A long walk on the sand: Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa.
• No car needed: Easts and Kendalls, both about 15 minutes on foot from Kiama Ridge Waters.

Easts and Kendalls are both on the Kiama Coast Walk, so you can link a swim with a walk north to the Kiama Blowhole. Travelling with kids? Try our list of things to do in Kiama with kids.

Stay safe on Kiama beaches

Swim between the red and yellow flags, and only when lifeguards or lifesavers are on duty. Kiama's patrol season runs from late September to late April, but only Surf Beach is covered on weekdays for that whole period. Easts, Kendalls, North Bombo and Seven Mile are patrolled over the Christmas school holidays and on February weekends only, so outside those dates they are unpatrolled.

• Check conditions: Beachsafe lists hazards, facilities and patrol information for each beach.
• Check water quality: Beachwatch after heavy rain.
• Know the signs: council's timetable shows the flags for swimming, surfcraft zones and danger, no swimming.
• Use the beacon: Kendalls Beach has an Emergency Relay Beacon. In any emergency, call 000.

When the surf is up, swap the beach for one of the Kiama rock pools, or watch it from the headlands on our Kiama lookouts guide. The same headlands are good for whale watching in Kiama.

Stay a short walk from Easts and Kendalls

Stay at Kiama Ridge Waters, on a quiet residential street at 2 Surfleet Place, and both beaches are an easy walk: Easts Beach in 15 minutes (1.3 km) and Kendalls Beach in 16 (1.4 km). Leave the car in the secure garage and carry the beach bag down. Kiama station and the town centre are about 27 minutes on foot.

Each of the three-bedroom apartments sleeps six, with two bathrooms, a laundry for sandy towels and parking for two cars. Most of them take pets on request, with a $200 pet cleaning fee, so the dog can come along to the off-leash beaches at Bombo, Jones and Werri. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am.

Compare the apartments, read about family accommodation near Kiama beaches and pet-friendly accommodation in Kiama, or check availability.