Australia is well known for its beaches. If you were to visit one a day, it'd take over 27 years to see them all! Some of the very best in the country can be found in NSW, from those with pure white sand (including the whitest sand in the world!) to sweeping golden bays and those nestled between craggy headlands.
You can drive right up to the vast majority of beaches on this list, so they’re perfect for a hot day when you don’t want to put in too much effort.
Here are some of the very best beaches in NSW.
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1: Hyams, Jervis Bay
2: Murray, Jervis Bay
3: Wategos, Byron Bay
4: Ghosties Beach, Central Coast
5: Caves Beach, Central Coast
6: Tallow Beach, Byron Bay
7: Mollymook, South Coast
8: Burning Palms, Royal NP
9: Red Rock, Yuragyir NP
10: Zenith Beach, Port Stephens
11: Anna Bay, Port Stephens
12: Palm Beach, Sydney
13: Pebbly Bay, South Coast
14: Tamarama, Sydney
15: Bongil Beach, Bellingen
16: Shelly Beach, Booti Booti National Park
17: Bennetts Beach, Hawks Nest
18: Lighthouse Beach, Port Macquarie
19: Treachery Beach, Seal Rocks
The best beaches in NSW
1. Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay
We had to start this list with the beach that has the whitest sand in the world (it’s even in the Guiness Book of Records!). Hyams Beach gets a lot of hype but it really does live up to it, it’s simply sensational. Although it is understandably popular, it is a very long beach so there’s a lot of room to spread out.
If like us, you prefer your beaches really quiet you can go very early in the morning. It’s a magical place to watch the sunrise and then even for a few hours after you won’t be sharing it with many people.
Access to the beach is easy, you only have to walk a few steps down to the sand, the harder part is parking if you’re visiting in the middle of the day.
2. Murrays Beach, Jervis Bay
Not far from Hyams, in Booderee National Park, you'll find another beauty. White sand, turquoise water and fewer people seem to know about this one. If you love the idea of Hyams but you arrive and it’s too busy, this could be a perfect alternative. Constantly comparing it to Hyams probably doesn’t do it justice either, it’s a truly spectacular beach.
You do have to pay the ACT national park fee to get in, but it's all for a good cause.
3. Wategos Beach, Byron Bay
A short distance from Main Beach in Byron Bay, you’ll find Wategoes. It’s a gorgeous little beach and it always has a lovely vibe. You’ll find everyone from surfers to families playing ball games and maybe even a few dolphins in the distance!
It’s a popular spot but the majority of people stick to the area in front of the car park, you’ll find it much quieter if you head to the northern end of the beach.
The turquoise water is perfect for swimming and it's just a short stroll up to the top of the lighthouse for sunset when you're done lazing around.
4. Ghosties Beach, Central Coast
Ghosties is a gorgeous beach backed by a huge cliff wall which gives it that wild feel, but it's what lies at the southern end of the beach that makes it extra special. Ghosties is home to some of the best sea caves in the state, the most spectacular of which is easy to access (providing you get the conditions right).
It's almost like a slot canyon and leads you through a narrow gap and into a rainbow coloured cave. It's so much fun to walk through and wonderful for photography.
If you luck out with a really low tide you can even access the red and gold cave just beyond the main cave. The exact conditions needed and all other details are in this post.
5. Caves Beach, Central Coast
It's all in the name when it comes to Caves Beach. This is another of the Central Coast's most spectacular beaches for easy sea cave exploration.
Although none of the caves are individually as sensational as the ones at Ghosties, they are still fabulous and even easier to access (in the right conditions).
Kids will love the fact they can fit in some of the caves and cracks that you can’t!
The golden stretch of sand is also lovely and it's nice and quiet at the northern end, but really it's the caves at the southern end that gave this beach a spot on our list.
6. Tallow Beach, Byron Bay
Tallow Beach is absolutely huge, so you’ll never have a problem finding a spot on this stunning stretch of sand. It’s a great place for surfing, relaxing, or a long stroll if you’re feeling energetic. It’s an easy beach to walk along because the sand is compact.
Tallow Beach is fringed by beautiful bushland and it certainly has that wild feel, if you’re incredibly lucky you might even see a koala!
If you go all the way to the southern beach end of the beach and follow the walking track that runs behind it, you’ll also find an amazing picnic spot, and a small secret beach - which were some of our favourite places in Byron Bay.
7. Mollymook, South Coast
This beach has a real family vibe and it's a great place to relax and soak up the friendly atmosphere. It’s another big beach with plenty of room to spread out on.
It's a lovely beach for swimming and also close to one of our favourite regional seafood restaurants, Bannisters.
8. Burning Palms, Royal National Park
This beach located in Royal National Park requires a little bit of a walk. It probably takes around 30 minutes to get down to it (and yep it's all uphill on the way back) but it's more than worth the effort to get to one of our favourite secluded beaches in Sydney.
We've never seen it very busy and the backdrop of green hills really adds to the charm.
If the tide is low you can also walk round to the famous Figure of 8 Pools for one of Sydney’s more adventurous day trips.
9. Red Rock, Yuraygir National Park
This beach is located in Yuraygir National Park and seems to stretch for miles. It was very quiet when we visited, even during the busy Easter period.
It'd be hard to imagine it ever getting too busy, and the beach is easily big enough that a short stroll from the car park would take you to blissful solitude anyway. The craggy headland and rock formations give it a wild feel and it’s the kind of beach that even looks atmospheric in gloomy weather.
If you are really lucky you might even catch sight of the rare coastal emu.
10. Zenith Beach, Port Stephens
Zenith Beach is a small but breathtaking stretch of sand nestled between two steep headlands. It's one of those places you see photos of and wonder if it can possibly look as good in real life. It looks better. The headlands give it such a dramatic feel.
It does get popular on weekends, so it's another one of those spots we like to visit for sunrise and then it's still nice and quiet for a few hours afterwards.
It's just a couple of minutes walk from a very small car park, which is also where you start the famous Tomaree Head Summit hike so you might need to find a spot a little further away. It is definitely worth it though.
11. Anna Bay, Port Stephens
This beach is backed by the giant sand dunes, the Worimi Conservation Area, which you could easily spend a day exploring in itself.
If you have a permit and a 4WD you can actually drive amongst the dunes or rent a board and try your hand at dune surfing.
The beach itself is large and sweeping and no matter how many cars you see in the car park you won't have a problem as soon as you walk a few minutes along the beach.
If you're not going to make it to the famous Cable Beach in WA this is also a good opportunity to take a camel ride along the beach.
12. Palm Beach, Sydney
Sydney is well known for its beautiful beaches, over a 100 of them in fact, and some are more famous than others. Palm Beach is one of those, yet it still retains its laid back charm.
The beach is a huge sweep of golden sand and is popular with surfers and sun worshippers alike. There’s even a stunning ocean bath at the southern end if you prefer to swim in calm water.
We love going early and catching the sunrise before stocking up on breakfast at The Boathouse Cafe.
Climbing up to the Barrenjoey Lighthouse offers amazing views over the beach, as well as the chance to whale watch, in season. We also love the view from the Palm Beach Bible Garden if you have a little more time.
We’ve got a whole guide to the best things to do in Palm Beach here.
13. Pebbly Beach, South Coast
This one gets a mention not because it is the most beautiful on the list, though it is very pretty, but because it is frequented by gorgeous Eastern grey kangaroos.
Who doesn't want to see one of Australia's most iconic animals enjoying a little beach time R&R?
Make sure you visit towards sunset (or presumably sunrise although we went for sunset) to catch the roos on the beach itself, if you visit in the day you can find the roos on the grassy patch by the caravan park behind the beach.
14. Tamarama Beach, Sydney
A beach this good in Sydney city centre had to make the list.
You'll probably have picked up from our other entries that we prefer quiet secluded spots and that's definitely not Tamarama in the middle of the day.
We recommend visiting early morning or early evening if you want to experience it at its best, or grab a towel and join the throngs!
Our favourite way to get to Tamarama is to take the Bondi to Coogee Track, which follows the cliff tops and has terrific views.
15. Bongil Beach, Bellingen
Bongil Beach was an unexpected find for us. It's located in the Bongil Bongil National Park which has one of the biggest populations of wild koalas in NSW.
We went looking for the koalas and ended up stumbling upon this truly fantastic beach. It stretches for 7km and though we walked for 3km, we only saw one other person and this was in the busy Christmas holidays!
It's perfect for a long stroll as the sand is compact and easy to walk on, you can also surf, or just relax and wonder how you can have got this whole incredible beach to yourself.
It's a real hidden gem and an absolute must do when visiting Bellingen or Coffs Harbour.
16. Shelly Beach, Booti Booti National Park
Shelly Beach is one of those beaches that feels cut off from the rest of the world, and is only accessible on foot. It's truly spectacular, with gorgeous calm water, which makes it perfect for swimming. It's only a short walk through the forest to the beach yet it feels really secluded.
One half of the beach is clothing optional, but on the other side you'll find everyone in swimsuits, so there's something for everyone. It's backed by dramatic headland on either side and it's the sort of spot that is really hard to leave!
17. Bennetts Beach, Hawks Nest
On a sunny day, the sand at Bennetts Beach could give Hyams a run for its money! It's glistening white and the water looks turquoise. It can be a little wavy but nothing too dramatic. It's a really long beach and never seems to have anyone on it, which is pretty hard to believe!
The headlands you can see in the distance provide a really picturesque backdrop and the whole beach is just spectacular. Port Stephens is blessed with many beautiful beaches and this is definitely one of our favourites!
18. Lighthouse Beach, Port Macquarie
Lighthouse Beach is an absolute beauty and stretches for an incredible 9km - this is one beach where you definitely don't need to worry about finding your own private spot! There are plenty of points you can access the beach and our favourite for the novelty factor is at Watonga Rocks.
You can climb up on top of, or into the rock formations, which are nice and grippy when dry. At the northern end of the beach you can head up the staircases and onto the grassy knoll beside the Tacking Point Lighthouse, which is an excellent vantage point for sunset over the beach.
19. Treachery Beach, Seal Rocks
Treachery Beach is an absolute beauty and unlike any of the beaches on this list. We'd never seen a single picture of it before visiting and had no idea what to expect. After walking for 900m through the forest to get there, we got to the top of the stairs and couldn't believe what a magnificent view it was.
The beach is wild and windswept, not to mention absolutely ginormous, somehow we had it almost all to ourselves! If long strolls along the sand are your idea of heaven then you can't go past Treachery Beach.
The fact we saw both Humpback whales and a big pod of dolphins right from the sand only added to the magic. We’ve got a whole post on what to do at Treachery Beach to help plan you trip.
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What are your favourite beaches in NSW? Any that didn't make our list? Let us know in the comments below.
