Skip the school holiday period and Kiama slows down with empty coastal trails, ocean pools and farm stays scattered in the hills.
Follow the Grand Pacific Drive around a curve of the NSW coastline and Kiama comes into view. The fields and farms funnel down from the crest of a hill on Dharawal Country to reveal the turquoise sea stretched out to the horizon, light winking off the water.
Less than two hours south of Sydney, the coastal village of Kiama, on the Traditional Lands of the Wodi Wodi people, is an easy escape from the city for a midweek jaunt.
Outside the school holidays and busy summer weekends, the seaside village slows to a gentle pace along the Kiama Coast Walk, where most people striding past are friendly locals.
Walk along the coast
Cool off at the Blowhole Point Rock Pool. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The Kiama Coast Walk snakes along the coastline for some 20 kilometres between the Minnamurra River and Gerringong’s Werri Beach in three sections of around five to eight kilometres, linking beaches, headlands, farmland and town in a single journey.
Near Jones Beach, the volcanic sea stacks of Cathedral Rocks huddle together between sea and sky to form giant churches and steeples carved from columnar basalt.
The coastline curves around Kendalls Beach, Kiama. (Credit: Destination NSW/Mark Fitzpatrick)
Aside from listening to the boom of the blowholes during a big swell, visitors can enjoy the theatre of spotting humpbacks cruising past the whale-watching platforms at Minnamurra and Gerringong between May and November.
Back in town, the ocean pool at Blowhole Point seems to decide the town’s daily rhythm, with early regulars swimming laps beneath Kiama Lighthouse. For tired legs, Wellness & Recovery Haus on Manning Street has float pods and infrared saunas.
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The seaside town’s best dining spots
Drink in stunning views from Diggies Kiama. (Credit: Nikki To)
In Kiama, the ocean is always clawing at the coast. Diggies, on Blowhole Point, serves breakfast, brunch and lunch with a side of crashing waves. Silica, on Surf Beach, grows much of its own produce and shucks oysters to order.
Head to Silica for seafood.
Meanwhile, Miss Arda does Middle Eastern-inspired share plates and low-lit Little Betty’s pours small-production Australian wines. In Gerringong, The Hill Bar & Kitchen looks straight down over Werri Beach and The Co-Op has turned a heritage building’s courtyard into the place for long lunches.
Exploring inland: from walks to waterfalls
Enjoy nature views at Minnamurra Rainforest Centre, Budderoo National Park. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Inland, the roads through Jamberoo wind past dairy farms and fields to the Minnamurra Rainforest Centre, where the Lyrebird Loop Walk crosses Minnamurra River on suspension bridges.
Higher up, Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures puts walkers in the canopy and Carrington Falls tumbles dramatically off the plateau.
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Adorable accommodation in Kiama
Stay at Cicada Luxury Camping. (Credit: Destination NSW)
As the light fades, follow the road winding back through farmland and into the hills, which are dotted with great places to stay for the night. The cottages at Jamberoo Valley Farm have hot tubs facing the valley.
Adults-only Cicada Luxury Camping in Jerrara pairs safari tents with outdoor baths and firepits. And Greyleigh, a former dairy estate that sleeps 18, is well suited to large gatherings.
Rise with the sun at Greyleigh, Kiama. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ripples and reflections at Greyleigh. (Credit: Destination NSW)
On my last morning in Kiama, I walk out to Blowhole Point. The car park is almost empty. A deep thud rises from beneath the rock ledge, pockmarked with rock pools, then a column of white water hangs in the air before collapsing into the sea.
The Aboriginal name, Kiarama, is often translated as ‘place where the sea makes a noise’. And while that booming, immersive nature show is what brings people here, it’s the quiet in between that brings them back.
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Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
A national beach title, a new entertainment precinct and a run of headline restaurant openings have put this Sydney suburb on everyone’s radar. Here are eight of the best reasons to spend a long weekend in Cronulla.
Cronulla has spent the past year becoming one of Australia’s most talked-about coastal destinations. Its beaches picked up the title of Australia’s Best Beach for 2026, the town centre is now the state’s first beachside Special Entertainment Precinct, and it’s still the only Sydney beach you can reach by train.
Add a wave of excellent new bars and restaurants and two national parks on its doorstep, and it’s easy to understand why locals wax lyrical about the lifestyle.
1. The new wining and dining scene
Try Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours at Isora.
Chef Nelly Robinson has set up NOA just metres from the sand, and it includes a formal room for long lunches, plus Little NOA, a low-key terrace doing burgers and cocktails. Down the strip, Retro fuses a Mexico City cantina with an unlikely sideline: pizzas on a 48-hour fermented dough, backed by the Shire’s most extensive tequila list. At Checho’s, cocktails arrive in ceramic handbags and the pops of pink neon match the mood. Isora is another newcomer and skewed towards Asia, with dishes that rely on Thai, Korean and Japanese flavours. While Bobbys is one of the best waterfront restaurants in Cronulla, its sister venue, Meadow, is the new music room we didn’t know we needed. It’s cool and sleek, kitted out with excellent audio equipment and a roster of DJs on the decks.
2. Local favourites
Follow the locals to Homer Rogue Taverna. (Credit: Trent van der Jagt)
Follow the locals home from the beach to Homer Rogue Taverna, where Harry and Mario Kapoulas draw from mum’s own recipe book – moussaka, charcoal chicken off the souvla. Duke’s Providore flips from butcher-counter deli by day to an intimate wine bar after dark, and Parc Pavilion’s new pub complex covers everything from a casual bistro to a proper sports bar under one roof. Benny’s looks over Gunnamatta Bay, where the signature barra arrives in a bag with clams and cherry tomatoes, while Alphabet St has long paired its signature Apple Martini with modern Asian share plates. At family-run Queen Margherita of Savoy, the vibes are always high and the Neapolitan-style pizza lives up to its reputation as the suburb’s best.
Bate Bay in the Sutherland Shire was named Australia’s best beach for 2026. (Credit: Taylah Darnell)
The best beach title didn’t come from nowhere. Cronulla’s beaches and ocean pools remain some of Sydney’s most photographed, pulling swimmers, surfers and photographers back year after year. The award covers several spots along Bate Bay, including four ocean pools and the Gunnamatta Bay Baths. Follow the Esplanade from Cronulla Beach, then on to Shelly Park, where an ocean pool sits beside a grassy park and fenced playground.
4. A surf culture to match
Watch the local surfers, or join in.
Life in Cronulla revolves around the ocean. Local surfers are in the water before work, wriggling into their wetsuits. Others are swimming around Shark Island or doing the downward dog at Sunrise Yoga. In the warmer months, many are putting a full stop on the day with a quick dip at dusk. Wander the Esplanade under a wide, blue sky, and you’ll understand why Cronulla deserves the its accolades. Groups like the Shark Island Psycho Swimmers (SIPS) swim all through winter, and the beachside cafes fill with these fit folk still dripping wet and salty from the surf.
5. A ferry ride to Bundeena
Royal National Park is the world’s second-oldest national park. (Credit: J Spencer / DCCEEW)
For a change of pace, base yourself in Cronulla and take the short ferry across to Bundeena. While it’s only a day trip from Cronulla, it feels like you’ve left Sydney behind entirely, without ever getting in a car.
Time your visit to coincide with the monthly art trail. Or paddle into the calm water of Cabbage Tree Basin with Bundeena Kayaks. The boho suburb is the gateway to the walking tracks of the Royal National Park – the second oldest national park in the world and the oldest in Australia. It’s worth the jaunt along Jibbon Beach to see the Jibbon Head Aboriginal Engravings, an ancient Dharawal rock art site located on a sandstone platform near Bundeena in the Royal National Park.
6. Explore Kamay Botany Bay National Park
Wander over impressive sandstone clifftops. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Prefer to stay on this side of the water? The Kurnell side of Kamay Botany Bay National Park sits just beyond Cronulla’s beaches – its coastal walking trails leading out to Cape Solander, where watching the waves crash against the soaring sandstone cliffs is as dramatic as seeing whales breaching during the annual migration season.
There’s history here too, layered into the landscape. The Cape Baily walking track snakes along the clifftops to the 1950 lighthouse, passing through heathland that is brightened with pops of pretty wildflowers during spring. Set off early, in the cool light of dawn, to make the trek from Cape Solander to Cronulla along a well-used walking track.
7. Stay the night (or several)
Peaple-watch from your balcony at Rydges Cronulla Beachside. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Accommodation in Cronulla ranges from cosy Airbnbs to full-service hotels. Rydges Cronulla Beachside has 84 rooms and suites, most with balconies over the beach or the Kingsway, plus a terrace bar, The Alley, right by the beach. And Quest Cronulla Beach has reopened after a full refurbishment with pet-friendly studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, each with its own kitchen and laundry. Guests can also use the outdoor pool, gym, sauna and spa. Quest Woolooware Bay is just one suburb back from Cronulla and near the Woolooware Bay Shared Pathway, which leads across the Captain Cook Bridge to Dolls Point.
8. A vibrant events calendar
Check out Brass Monkey’s gig guide.
Music lovers flock to the Cronulla Jazz and Blues Festival, which happens every May. And there’s always something happening at the Brass Monkey, so be sure to check the gig guide for upcoming live acts.
Pop into the Cronulla Christmas Market (in 2026, it’s on November 21-22) for over 200 stalls selling gift ideas for Christmas. Food lovers, meanwhile, can graze more than 30 international hot food stalls at Eat Drink Nights Cronulla.
Bring the family along to two of the Shire’s favourite annual festivals. The Gymea Village Festival fills Gymea’s streets with rides, entertainment and market stalls every October, while the Jannali Moonrise Festival lights up November with live music, food and family-friendly fun.
Yes, Cronulla officially has the best beach in Australia, a dining scene that holds its own against the city’s best and national parks on either side of it. But best of all, these attractions are all close enough together that you never have to choose between them.
