The South Coast's beaches
The NSW South Coast is one long procession of beautiful beaches — brilliant white bays, wild surf sweeps, sheltered family coves and, at one famous spot, kangaroos grazing right on the sand. From the dazzling shores of Jervis Bay to the kangaroo beaches of Murramarang, here are the beaches worth planning your trip around, and how to choose the right sand for you.
Jervis Bay: Hyams & beyond
No stretch of the coast glows like Jervis Bay. Hyams Beach is the celebrated name — squeaky white sand and clear turquoise shallows — but it's tiny and busy, so spread out to equally stunning Greenfield, Nelsons and Blenheim, or the family sands of Green Patch and glass-clear Murrays Beach inside Booderee National Park. These are calm, sheltered and beautiful — but not patrolled, so swim with care.
Kangaroos on the sand at Pebbly Beach
One South Coast beach is famous the world over: Pebbly Beach, in Murramarang National Park north of Batemans Bay, where mobs of eastern grey kangaroos graze the grassy foreshore right beside the surf. It's a genuine, reliable phenomenon — the nearby Depot Beach and North Durras deliver the same magic. Access is via an unsealed road off the Princes Highway. Please keep your distance and never feed them: they're wild animals, and feeding harms them.
Seven Mile, Mollymook & Bendalong
Beyond the bays, the coast delivers classic ocean beaches. Seven Mile Beach runs wild from Shoalhaven Heads to Gerroa; patrolled Mollymook and Narrawallee near Ulladulla are family and surf favourites; and Bendalong, near Lake Conjola, is a gem with a calm boat-harbour beach (friendly stingrays glide near the ramp) and kangaroos on the caravan-park foreshore at dawn. For patrolled swimming, stick to the surf clubs' flags in season and check beachsafe.org.au.
South Coast beaches: your questions
Pebbly Beach, in Murramarang National Park north of Batemans Bay, is the famous one — eastern grey kangaroos regularly graze the grassy foreshore right beside the sand (VisitNSW even calls it home to "surfing kangaroos"). Nearby Depot Beach and North Durras in the same park are just as reliable. Please never feed or approach them — keep your distance and let them be wild.
The whole of Jervis Bay is the headline act — Hyams Beach is the famous name, with Greenfield, Nelsons and Green Patch just as dazzling. Beyond the bay, Seven Mile Beach near Gerroa, Mollymook and Bendalong are all superb. For sheer white sand and turquoise water, Jervis Bay is hard to beat; for patrolled family swimming, Mollymook is a favourite.
Only a fraction of the region's 100-plus beaches are patrolled by surf lifesavers, generally from around October to April (weekends in the shoulder season and daily through the summer school holidays). Patrolled beaches include Seven Mile (Gerroa), Werri (Gerringong), Mollymook, Narrawallee and Ulladulla. Many of the calm bay beaches (Hyams, Green Patch, Murrays) are lovely but unpatrolled. Check current patrol times at beachsafe.org.au.
Yes — the well-known Seven Mile Beach runs from Shoalhaven Heads to Gerroa, backed by Seven Mile Beach National Park near Gerringong and Kiama. It's a long, wild sweep of sand, part of it patrolled in season, and great for a walk, a surf or a swim. (Note there are a few "Seven Mile Beaches" on the NSW coast — this is the Gerroa one.)
Very. The calm, shallow bay beaches of Jervis Bay (Green Patch, Blenheim, Nelsons) are ideal for young children, while patrolled ocean beaches like Mollymook and Narrawallee suit older kids and swimmers. Add rock pools, easy walks and the novelty of kangaroos on the sand at Pebbly Beach, and it's a wonderful coast for a family holiday.