From Stanwell Park to Windang, the Illawarra has a super stunning selection of patrolled beaches for fans of sun, sand and salt. Find out which beach is best for the fam bam, fur babies, fitness fans, swimming, catching waves, brushing up on your boogie boarding or just chilling out under the umbie with a good book.
BEACHES OF WOLLONGONG
Stanwell Park to Windang
When there’s a coastline stretching 50 kms from Windang in the south up to Stanwell Park Beach tucked in under the escarpment off the Grand Pacific towns in the north, you’re bound to find a beach to suit your summer style. Spend the day at Austinmer and finish it off with some sundowners at the Headlands Hotel, get some sunrise laps in at Coalcliff’s ocean pool, catch a break at Wollongong City Beach or head down to Port Kembla….it’s Wollongong’s longest beach. Plenty of space for you to stretch out when you’ve got over 6 kms of sand to choose from!
There may only be a few beaches in the Shellharbour but boy, do they go big! Warilla north is awesome for swimming with Windang Island sheltering the northern end of the beach while surfers head to the southern end. We also love Kiyong Beach at the entrance to Lake Illawarra for family-friendly splish splashing. Both Shellharbour North and South beaches offer up lots of options from swimming to surfing to fishing – just remember to stay in between the flags if you’re swimming as both beaches are fairly exposed. And of course, one of the most picturesque beaches on the entire coastline, Killalea can be accessed via Killalea Reserve. It’s not patrolled and a bit of a hike to get there but a super pretty spot.
No one can ever accuse the beaches of the Kiama area of being meh! From the sandy banks of Boyds Beach tucked around behind Mystics and Minnamurra Beaches to the fun and family-friendly inlet at the top of Seven Mile Beach in Gerroa, we love getting our sand, sun and swimming fix along this beautiful part of the Illawarra coastline.