Easts Beach in Kiama, a sheltered swimming beach on the Coast Walk

Know Easts Beach before you go

Easts Beach (NSW 396 on the Surf Life Saving register) is the last of Kiama's pocket beaches as you head south. It faces east and runs for about 350 m between 50 m high Marsden Head on the north side and a smaller headland to the south. The valley behind the sand is filled by the Easts Beach holiday park, which is where the name comes from.

Because campers drive in through the park, the beach can look private. It isn't. Like every Australian beach it is public and open to everyone, and you reach it on foot from the streets above.

• Length: about 350 m
• Faces: east, so the sun comes up over the water
• Hazard rating: 4 out of 10 on BeachSafe
• Lifeguards: Kiama Council, over the Christmas school holidays
• Entry: free
• Access: steps at each end, not suitable for people with access needs

Check BeachSafe for today's swell, tide and patrol status before you head down.

Let small children splash in Munna Munnora Creek

Destination Kiama calls Easts Beach a bather's beach for all ages, and the creek is a big part of why. Munna Munnora Creek and its small lagoon cross the southern end of the sand, and the shallow water there is a good spot for little ones to splash around while older kids swim in the surf.

Under normal conditions BeachSafe describes a sandbar attached to the shore and no rips, with waves averaging about 1 m. That changes when the swell builds: rips do form in bigger waves, so keep a close eye on children at the water's edge and stick to the flags when they are up.

For more ideas that work with kids in tow, see things to do in Kiama with kids.

Swim between the flags in summer

Easts Beach has no surf club. It is covered by the Kiama Council lifeguard service, and BeachSafe lists it as patrolled during the Christmas school holidays. Patrol dates and hours change each season, so check Kiama Council's current lifeguard timetable before you go.

Outside those dates the beach is unpatrolled. BeachSafe also flags bluebottles and sharks as possible hazards on this stretch of coast, as on most NSW beaches. Swim between the red and yellow flags, wear sun protection, and if the swell is big, pick one of the Kiama rock pools instead. Kendalls Beach, the next beach north, is the other usually quiet option, and our Kiama beaches guide compares the rest.

Park on the streets above and walk down

There is no public car park on the sand. Destination Kiama's advice is to park on Ocean Road, Marsden Street or Tingira Avenue and walk down to the beach. Vehicle access through the holiday park is for its guests only. The beach's listed address is Ocean Street, Kiama NSW 2533.

The walk down uses the Coast Walk steps at each end of the beach, so bring what you can carry in one trip. Easts Beach does not cater for people with access needs, so plan for stairs if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or pram.

Open Easts Beach on Google Maps for directions, or see our Kiama parking guide.

Walk the Kiama Coast Walk from Easts Beach

Easts Beach sits on the Mid Section of the Kiama Coast Walk, which runs from the Kiama Blowhole to Loves Bay: 6 km, about 1.5 hours, graded medium to hard by Destination Kiama. The beach has steps at each end, so the walk drops down onto the sand and climbs out the other side.

Heading north: follow the path to the Little Blowhole on Tingira Crescent, which is most active in a north-easterly swell and, according to Destination Kiama, arguably more consistent than the main blowhole. Keep going past Kendalls Beach and on to the Kiama Blowhole and Kiama Lighthouse on Blowhole Point.

Heading south: climb to Kiama Heights, where the next headland gives you a view back along the coast, then round the tip of Attunga Avenue to the rocky shore of Loves Bay. From there the South Section (6 km, about 2 hours) follows open farmland to Werri Beach at Gerringong.

Our Kiama Coast Walk guide covers every section, and walks in Kiama lists shorter options.

Meet the holiday park behind the beach

The park, and so the beach, takes its name from the East family. According to the park's own history, Thomas and Elizabeth East arrived in Sydney in 1841 and ran a dairy farm called Prospect here. In the 1930s Bruce East started taking campers on the farm, and that became the Easts Beach caravan park. The family owned and ran it for more than 80 years.

Kiama Library keeps historic photos, including a 1930s postcard of the beach and the camping ground while it was still a working dairy farm in the 1950s. Browse them on the Kiama Library Easts Beach history page.

If you searched for Easts Beach camping, the park is now part of Tasman Holiday Parks, trading as BIG4 Easts Beach Kiama, with villas, cabins and powered sites. The park itself is not pet friendly.

Leave the dog off the sand

Kiama Council does not allow dogs on beaches, on the sand or in the water, unless the area is a designated off-leash area. Destination Kiama lists Bombo, Jones and Werri as the area's dog-friendly beaches, and Easts Beach is not one of them. Marsden Head, the headland that overlooks Easts Beach from the north, is an off-leash headland area, reached from Tingira Crescent. Check the signs on the day, and see council's dog off-leash areas page for the current map.

If your dog is coming too, most of our apartments take pets on request. See pet-friendly apartments in Kiama for the rules and the $200 pet cleaning fee.

Come early for sunrise and space

Easts Beach faces east, so the sun rises over the water. If you are bringing children to swim later in the day, plan around the lifeguard days and hours. For more early-morning spots, see sunrise and sunset in Kiama.

See what's near Easts Beach

The Little Blowhole and Bonaira Native Gardens are both a short walk from the beach. Kendalls Beach is the next bay north along the Coast Walk, and from there it is a longer walk into town, the harbour and Blowhole Point. When you're hungry after a swim, our guides to where to eat in Kiama and Kiama fish and chips will point you to lunch.

Stay a 15-minute walk from Easts Beach

Easts Beach is the closest beach to Kiama Ridge Waters: a 15-minute walk (1.3 km) from 2 Surfleet Place, with Kendalls Beach 16 minutes (1.4 km) away. Leave the car in your secure garage, which takes two, and walk down with the beach bag. Our three-bedroom apartments are in a residential street rather than on the beach, and each one sleeps up to six.

Use the walking route from 2 Surfleet Place to see the way. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am.

Compare the apartments, read about family accommodation near Easts Beach, plan a group stay across several apartments, or see where to stay in Kiama.