Arrawarra – NSW’s Top Logger Spot?
Arrawarra is home to a peeling point break that’s surely among the best logger spots in NSW. It’s chilled, fun and great for all levels, not to mention downright beautiful
An introduction to Arrawarra
Lovely little Arrawarra is a place we love to surf. Chilled, easy-going, rarely busy, and with good vibes in the water, it’s one of the more welcoming spots on the Coffs Coast of NSW.
It’s a classic regional setup – think a rocky headland that pushes out about 700m from the beach to hook in SW swells off the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean, creating peeling right handers that are glassy AF most of the year.
Okay, so it might not be The Pass (Byron’s most epic and most over-surfed wave) and it might not have the punch of Crescent Head, but it’s generally just a fun wave with lots of play space and a good shape as it rolls across the reef.
And it’s two for one, too – you get peaky, punchy beach wedges all the way up Corindi Beach that goes north of Arrawarra town.
When all’s said and done, this is a logger wave at heart. Add some volume and head down to cross-step and cruise.
The town itself is tiny but pretty, hemmed in by lush forests of eucalyptus woods where you can spot roos and koalas. It also just so happens to be the home of what we’d rate as one of the best learner surf camps in Oz.
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Arrawarra at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Arrawarra?
Where is Arrawarra?
Arrawarra is a short detour off of the Pacific Highway (the A1, which runs the whole length of the NSW shoreline).
The town itself – which is real small – is split into two halves by the Arrawarra Creek. We usually drive in by aiming for the south side of the creek, since there’s parking right there overlooking the main point break.
More generally speaking, Arrawarra is about two thirds of the way from Sydney to the border with Queensland. The nearest major town is Coffs Harbor, which also happens to have an airport with links to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Unless you book onto a surf camp, you’re definitely going to want a car. It’s the only real way into town and means you’ll be able to drive north or south to hit all the other NSW spots if Arrawarra ain’t working too well.
We use RentalCars.com for all our hires in Oz (and Europe for that matter)
Arrawarra surf spots
The main surf spots around Arrawarra are a beach break (which is great for learners) and an epic right-hand point (which we rate as one of the best logger spots in NSW).
Corindi Beach
Corindi Beach is real fun. It’s remote and basically always empty, apart from the groups that come down from the Mojosurf Spot X school/camp (which is one of our top picks in NSW). It’s basically a classic open East Coast beach with loads of sandbanks that work on all stages of the tide.
The best and punchiest spots are towards the north end of the bay, with better beginner and longboard sets coming in just north of the rivermouth nearer Arrawarra town.
Arrawarra Point
The point break in Arrawarra is the star of the town. It works just the same as pretty much every other point break on this stretch of Aussie shore. The rocks poke out just enough to cause the S-SE swells that are dominant through the Tasman Sea for most of the winter, spring and fall to refract around the reef and into the inside of the bay.
What’s key here is that the spot drags the sets around the headland just a little more than what you get in Byron and Crescent Head. They’ll lose a little power and size, finally breaking over the relatively deep reef as a more mellow, mushy wall that peels nicely for up to 500m on the best days.
When it’s big, the take-off point will be further outside, even just around the tip of the rocks. It can get steep and pitching when that happens, at least for the initial section of 100m or so, when Arrawarra can be a nice shortboard point break with fun, fast, off-the-lip sections.
Give it a mid-sized swell around the chest height and it will shine for the reason most love it: Arrawarra is one of NSW’s finest logging spots. Slow peeling and with a nice triangular shape, it’s got loads of room for trimming and wide turns, with the potential hang 10 as you glide towards the carpark.
Paddle out here right from the beach. It’s a long paddle but you have fishing sticks marking the edge of the reef. Skirt them so you don’t get too shallow and scratch boards/feet.
Ocean View Beach
The first of the east-facing beaches just to the south of Arrawarra Point, Ocean View is a good alternative if the swell is small or if the winds are up (so long as it’s not an E wind). There’s decent protection from most directions, and some nice rights that work on the rock reef at the north end of the bay. Learners should track south to the sand-bottomed wedges that work on the south end of the beach.
Mullaway Beach
Even more exposed Mullaway Beach has way more space for beginners. We’ve heard it been said that it’s sharkey here, and the lack of literally anyone else surfing kinda’ fills us with dread. That said, the peaks have good power, are highly consistent, and there are some rare left handers to please goofies on the north-side reefs.
Surf camps in Arrawarra
One of the main reasons that Arrawarra is on the map these days is because it hosts arguably the best beginner surf camp in NSW.
Cue Spot X by Mojosurf. They’re really great and offer an escape-to-nature sort of package with lots of surfing on the beach that’s right beside the camp.
Accommodation is in charming coastal cabins or glamping tipis and you’ll get to make some great new mates with sunset beers, BBQ nights, and singing songs around the firepit. It’s all very fun, and pretty affordable too.
They have camps that last from a few days to a full week…
- Spot X Surf Camp (7-day surf camp) – The most comprehensive package at Spot X is this 7-day offering, which comes with 6x surf lessons and ALL your food.
- Spot X Surf Camp (4-day surf camp) – This shorter camp is perfect if you want to work in some surf lessons to a NSW road trip. It includes three nights’ accommodation and three surf lessons, all starting at just $400pp.
Want more inspiration? We’ve got a complete guide to all the best surf camps in Australia right now…
Where to stay when surfing in Arrawarra?
If you’re a beginner, then it’s a good idea to consider the surf camps listed above. Not only are they actually comparable in price to a few nights’ in a coast hotel in Arrawarra but they include surf lessons, gear, and even food.
If you do want to book yourself a stay then there are some very nice options with good proximity to the point break and beaches.
- Pipe Dreams – A cool home rental that’s fantastic for traveling groups and families, this one sits on lovely Arrawarra Point and has its own half pipe!
- NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort – A fine family pick, the holiday park is just north of the river mouth, so you get walking access to the more beginner friendly beach breaks. It’s got a pool and cabin-style rooms that are fun.
- Ocean Song – Another of the stylish home rentals in Arrawarra’s main town, this one has unrivalled views over the point break.
When to surf in Arrawarra?
Arrawarra is a year-round surf destination, though the peak season – the time with the dominant and strong S-SE swells – is the winter, which runs from May to August in the Southern Hemisphere.
We’d say the summer (Nov-March) is a great option if you’re learning since the waves are consistent but a little smaller and more forgiving.
Fall is probably the peak time for us overall, since the weather and water remain hot but conditions start to pick up as the S swell channels begin to fire. April and May should be fantastic.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
