We had no expectations for Treachery Beach. I’d never seen a picture or heard anyone talk about it before and it turned out to be one of the most magnificent beaches we’ve seen in New South Wales! What makes it so great is that it’s not just a pretty face, there are quite a few things that make it special, such as the ability to see whales and dolphins and a picturesque headland walk.

It’s not great for swimming, but if you like your beaches wild and windswept or you love to surf, then look no further; Treachery Beach offers that feeling of truly getting away from it all. It’s gorgeous on a sunny day but even in the rain it has atmosphere.

This is one NSW beach you don’t want to miss, here’s what to expect from a trip here.

Treachery Beach

The walk to Treachery Beach

It’s an easy 900m walk to get to the beach. You’ll walk straight into a dense patch of forest on a wide, flat path. It’s really pretty and even the short walk gives you a good dose of jungle vibes.

You’ll soon get to a good view of Lighthouse Beach from above, it’s slightly obscured by trees but it still looks great, you can get down to it by taking the unmarked path on your left, but you want to keep right for Treachery Beach.

You’ll soon come out at an open patch of grass and the Treachery Camp. Again we had no idea this place existed but it looked epic!

There are several different cabins and also the option to pitch a tent. It wasn’t very busy and had a relaxed, intimate vibe. The camp is just 400m from the beach.

From the camp there are two trails you can take - we recommend taking the one on the right for the beach first.

You’ll go through another small patch of forest with a seriously impressive Fig Tree with huge roots, before coming out at a long wooden staircase and an incredible view of the beach.

It is absolutely ginormous and when we visited on a public holiday there were only two other people on it. Unbelievable!

The Fig Tree on the way to Treachery Beach

The walk can get pretty muddy and slippery in parts so you might want to wear something other than flip flops if it’s been wet.

Look out for whales and dolphins

The top of the staircase is a good vantage point to look for whales (in season - May to October) and dolphins (year round).

We were lucky enough to see two whales constantly breaching for around ten minutes straight as well as a pod of dolphins playing in the surf!

It was such an incredible start to our Treachery Beach experience.

Although you could see them from the beach it helps to scout from the top first so you know where to look when you get to ground level.

The beach

We were taken aback by the sheer size of the beach. It looks like it goes on for kilometres and taking a stroll along it is an unmissable experience.

The sand is also quite compact so it’s much easier than walking on soft sand.

Whilst technically you could go swimming, it looked pretty wild and I wouldn’t go for more than a paddle but maybe it is calmer some days!

The two other people we saw at the beach were both surfers and they absolutely loved it!

After enjoying the beach we’d recommend heading back up to camp and taking the second trail which leads to the Treachery Headland.

Treachery Headland

From the campsite it’s around 400m walking through the forest to get to the start of the Treachery Headland.

It’s well worth making the little bit of extra effort to do this walk because the views are even better from the headland than from the top of the beach.

The view from the headland of Treachery Beach

The path is a little overgrown in parts but still easy to get through and if you’re lucky enough to be around when there are whales and dolphins you will get an even better view from here than from the staircase down to the beach.

If you continue along the headland you’ll come out to Treachery Head which offers a view of Lighthouse beach to your left and Treachery to your right.

The rocks straight ahead were a favourite spot with fishermen although it looked a bit precarious to us! It’s a fab spot to just sit and soak up the atmosphere of the whole area in complete solitude - the albatrosses kept us entertained for ages!

The rocks with the fishermen at Treachery Beach

The weather quickly turned though, and it started bucketing down, even though it wasn’t forecast, so we’d recommend having a rain jacket with you whatever the weather because in the four times we’ve visited Seal Rocks there has been crazy rain every time!

Other beaches to check out near Treachery Beach

The Seal Rocks area is absolutely full of incredible beaches and all have a slightly different vibe.

If you have a 4WD and want to drive along the sand, you should definitely check out nearby Lighthouse Beach which was gorgeous. None 4WD owners can watch from a viewpoint.

Number One Beach is another beauty and is a good beach for swimming with gorgeous views to Pacific Palms.

If you’re happy to drive for around half an hour, Elizabeth Beach and Shelly Beach are both absolute stunners and good for swimming, with very few waves.

Where to stay at Treachery Beach

Treachery Camp

As soon as I saw Treachery Camp I wished we were staying there. The cabins looked great and they were just 400m from the ocean.

I checked out the pricing and there were some surprisingly affordable options starting at $85 per cabin in low season (there are also swankier cabins at higher prices). In summer they run a cafe too, although all cabins have a kitchen.

It’s the kind of place that’s perfect for a long weekend when you just want to get away from it all. You can visit their website by clicking here.

Where to park

Unfortunately the car park for Treachery Beach is tiny (although the camp has additional space if you’re staying there). The road to the start of the walk is dirt road - it’s in good condition though, so you will be ok in a 2WD.

However, the road to the car park is pretty rough as well, so you may want to find a spot on the main road. You can find the location of the car park on Google Maps by clicking this link.

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