The Ultimate Guide to NSW Surf
NSW surf is the cherry on the top of the Australian east coast. They might have warmer water up in QLD and more pros in WA, but this is the land of the thumping right-hand point, some of which are the best in the whole, wide world.
An introduction to NSW surf
NSW is unquestionably one of the surf meccas of the planet. The angry folks up in Avalon won’t want us saying this, but it’s among the finest destinations for surf travelers willing to rent a car and cruise the coast roads in search of the next best ride.
It’s like a montage of world-class point breaks; one after the other, each better than the last. From Manly up to Crescent Head it goes, and then a grand finale as everyone’s favorite surf town to bash comes in the form of Byron, where Ashtanga yoga, smoothies, and celeb faces are now the order of the day.
They say you haven’t surfed Australia until you’ve surfed New South Wales. They’d scoff at that over in WA and down in Bells, but there’s a certain truth to it. If you’re new, begin with Bondi or Byron and go from there. It’s a surf adventure you’ll never, ever forget!
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!
This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Australia
NSW surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to NSW surf?
Where is NSW?
New South Wales occupies the most wave-rich and swell-smashed corner of the whole of Australia. Its shoreline – the important part for us, eh? – runs for almost 1,230 miles down the south side of the east coast, ranging from Cape Byron (Australia’s easternmost mainland point) to the border with Victoria in the Nadgee Wilderness. Yep, there’s a HUGE amount to get through here!
How to get to NSW?
We’ll assume you’re either coming from outside of Australia, or aren’t into a 45-hour drive across the Outback to get in from wherever you might be based already. That means flying to NSW.
Sydney, the capital of NSW, has the largest international airport in Australia, known as Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport. This airport services many major international airlines, so it is very likely that there is a flight from your location or a nearby city.
If you’re in the US, for example, direct flights from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Sydney are the most common. If you’re in Europe, you may need to make one or more stops, commonly in the Middle East or Asia (cheeky Indo stopover on the way maybe?).
There are smaller airports for those flying domestically or short haul. Check out options to Ballina Byron Gateway Airport (for Byron Bay) or Port Macquarie Airport (for its namesake).
Should I rent a car for surf trips to NSW?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Basically, there are the Sydney breaks, which you can reach without a ride, and then there’s everything else. We’d actually go as far as to say that there are few regions on the globe better suited to surf road tripping than this. Maybe Cornwall’s north coast, France’s Landes, or Portgual’s Algarve.
Maybe. But Australia is primed for travelers in cars/campers and the variety of breaks you’ll be able to surf as you drive one of the conventional routes – like Sydney-Byron – is crazzzy.
We almost always use RentalCars.com for our car hire bookings. They have an easy interface and late cancellation options, plus they list Jucy cars, which have always been amazing for us in Australia and NZ.
NSW surf spots
Cabarita
The rugged head at Cabarita channels the SE swells around to offer long, pulsing shoulders of water that seem to form and reform as you ride them. It’s a great intermediate to expert wave that invites ripping, top to bottom turns, and hotdogging in the 4-9 foot range. Any more than that and it’s a pure beast. There are other beaches here but that aforementioned point is the reason it’s the first of the NSW surfing reserve (and certainly not the last!).
Byron Bay
No guide to NSW surf could possibly be complete without a mention of Byron Bay. Once the poster boy of Oz surfing, this one’s gone a bit too far. Onetime loyalist now scoff at the celeb status of their humble hippy town near the QLD border and pine for the days when it was rusting VW Beetles, not Porsches, that cruised the coast roads. All that aside, it’s a mecca for all surfers, all levels, with cracking surf schools and great breaks that work very consistently.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Byron Bay
Lennox Head
When the SE groundswells flow and the W winds blow, there’s hardly a point break in the Southern Hemisphere that can stand up to Lennox Head. Those are big words that are sure to leave anyone on the Western Cape or in J-Bay aghast. But, come, see for yourself, this pounding right is an epic customer and it’s surely among the finest spots in the country. There are more beaches around – Skennars, Boulders – that have their own gritty rights and slabby A-frames too.
Check out our complete guide to surfing Lennox Head
Yamba
The chilled beach town of Yamba is what NSW surfing is all about if you ask us. Long beaches offer banks up and down thier length, there are bays and breakwaters that face north to get swell in summer, and there’s usually an offshore slot to get into. We love this town of chilled beer bars and cafes and coast hotels. It’s a must TBH.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Yamba
Angourie
Angourie is Yamba’s little bro. When we say little, we mean only the town itself – it’s like two streets, one cafe. That’s it. We DO NOT mean the breaks. The wave here is a world-class right-hand point that can hold well overhead and can fire off some of th e best and biggest lines, with sections that barrel and fatten out for some good ripping. There’s also Spookies Beach and some lefts. We’d stay in Yamba since it’s five minutes’ drive away.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Angourie
Arrawarra
Arrawarra is a cracking longboard point break with some serious length to it. The town is sat on a rivermouth overlooking one of the most beautiful beaches on the NSW coast, which is saying something big time. It’s a great beginner spot, thanks largely to the Spot X surf camp. A definite secret one we like to add into roadies up the Pacific Highway.
Check out our full guide to surfing in Arrawarra
Crescent Head
Crescent Head is among the remoter Australian Surfing Reserves north of Sydney. It’s a special one, capped off by its own fantastic right-hand point break. It’s a power wave that sucks big off the cobble reef and gives long tapering shoulders for shortboarders to rip, as they do every morning and evening. The beaches to the south are open, long, and filled with peaks; great territory for surf road-trippers looking to escape the crowds.
Check out our full guide to surfing Crescent Head right here
Port Macquarie
Port Macquarie is the centerpiece of about five or six beaches. Some face due NE into the Tasman Sea. Others look SE into the beasty bottom of the Pacific. That means swell charts hardly matter here, because something will be working so long as there’s action between north and south, which there always is. The highlights are the crumbly rollers at Flynn’s, great for learners, and the Middle on the main beach, which is a punchy left wall with hollow sections.
Seal Rocks
Seal Rocks is the name of a small village that’s tucked onto the Sugarloaf Point headland about 1h40 mins north of Newcastle. It’s simply GORGEOUS.
Blonde beaches roll out of the eucalyptus woods and there are only a few little cottages there gazing at the ocean. The town also happens to be wedged between beaches and points that each face different ways, meaning you can almost always find something working and something offshore.
It’s a must if you’re planning a NSW road trip and a great option for a weekend out of Sydney, which is only three hours or so away.
Tempted by that? Read our complete guide to surfing in Seal Rocks
Newcastle
Surf comps of all levels come and go from uber-consistent Newcastle throughout the year. The town hasn’t got the best rep among traveling Aussies, who we’ve always noticed seem to slag it off ad infinitum.
But you can’t slag off the spots too much.
They include legendary Nobbys Beach, which has given Straya plenty of its pros. It’s a fast performance wave that sections wonderfully. Even better again is the Surfing Reserve-designated Merewether Beach, which has punchy rights that barrel like clockwork.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Newcastle
Sydney
Sydney is probably the best surf city in the whole of Oz, potentially the world (sorry, Cape Town). Breaks line up on either side of the main harbor entrance. To the south, you have hallowed spots like Bondi (the Southern Hem’s answer to Zuma) and Bronte. To the north, you’ve go the wide, arcing sands of Manly, which have epic point breaks. And we’ve not even mentioned the so-called Northern Beaches. They’ve got bad localism but some fine surf that’s super consistent year-round.
Check out our complete guide to Sydney surf breaks
Bondi
Ask your parents about surfing in Australia and even they are likely to know of Bondi. The beach, which is by far the most famous in Sydney and NSW as a whole, is busy all year and hardly has the most epic surf on the east coast. But it’s hard to say a bad word about it. The vibes are good and the people are nice. Plus, the peeling A-frames that work on a pushing tide aren’t to be sniffed at for intermediate riders. All good.
Check out our complete guide to Bondi surf
Maroubra
South Sydney doesn’t get any better than Maroubra. The wide bay here can get bashed by big, slappy right barrels on the heavy winter SE swells and showcase nice, cruisy lefts at its top end. It’s always busy and has its own infamous local crew but the scene is still pretty great and suited to all levels depending on what’s in the forecast.
Check out our complete guide to surfing in Maroubra
Cronulla
Another Australian Surfing Reserve covers the beach at Cronulla, some 30 minutes’ drive south of Sydney’s CBD. The big, wide bay really sucks up the swell, which breaks into about four or five distinct sections. Voodoo is the gnarly slab barrel for the death wishers that works midwinter. But further into the middle of the beach are reef patches that give rise to the likes of Greenhills and the Alley, both nice, shifty peaks with rights and lefts. Good for all levels and quieter than the city center.
Check out our complete guide to Cronulla surf
Killalea
Killalea is probably the star of southern NSW. A gorgeous beach of about 700 meters that sits south of Shellharbor on the southern side of the Bass Point Reserve, it’s home to a right-hander point with sheer quality and any number of peaky beach breaks that work like a charm on SE swells. When it’s big, you can head down to Mystics to get something more sheltered. Usually got a crowd. It’s a roll of the dice if they’ll be friendly or not.
Surf camps in NSW
With Byron and empty beaches on the central coast on offer, NSW is one of the best places to do a surf camp in the country. You can escape the crowds and heavy localism, and make use of places that are tailor-made for the beginner backpacker surfer.
These are just a few of the best surf camps in the region…
- Spot X Surf Camp: 6 Day Beachfront Stay and Surf Camp in Arrawarra – Spot X partners with acclaimed Aussie surf staple Mojosurf Australia to offer this 6-day package for complete beginners. We have to say, they’ve nailed it. The program and location really lend themselves to complete learners, while the super-sociable camp is cool, too, making use of glamping pods and bell tents in a spot right by the beach.
- Mojosurf Camp by the Arts Factory Lodge: 6 Day Surf and Stay in Byron Bay – No list of the best surf camps in NSW could miss out on the Arts Factory Mojosurf mashup in Byron. It’s been a bit of a trailblazer, offering beginner- and intermediate-friendly courses combined with hostel-style accom in one of the coolest surf towns around.
Where to stay when surfing in NSW?
Surf camps won’t be for everyone. Plus, we’ve already mentioned how the NSW is primed for surf road-trippers, and that means there are oodles of tempting hotel and lodge choices speckling the coast.
We have a soft spot for the ones that are close to more hidden breaks, which is what we’ve focused on below.
- Ballina Beach Nature Resort – A pretty cool hotel-glamp site with rooms inspired by Africa’s safari tentalows. It’s right on the beatutufl beaches south of Byron, surrounded by forests and dunes. You’ll need a car but there’s potential surf right out front.
- Kove – A three-bedroom pad that’s steps off Cave Beach south of Newcastle. The place is uber-stylish with Scandi-chic interiors and can host the entire family.
- Cape Beach House – Understated luxury pushes the Cape Beach House in Byron to the top of the list in NSW’s mainstay surf town. From the outdoor showers to the curated interiors, you won’t look back.
When to surf in NSW?
There’s surf all year round in New South Wales. The winter brings the most reliable surf between the months of June and September. That’s because the dominant swell direction is from the SE, which is perfect for the state’s iconic right-hand points – Lennox Head, Crescent Head, etc.
Beginners and learners might prefer to temper things a little and hold off until the spring or summer. Come October and November, the swell switches to more easterly and the winds drop, helping to offer glassy days that are often in the 2-6 foot range – perfect for something a little more manageable.
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!
