Tag: Caves Beach

Beaches South of Newcastle New South Wales

There are some great beaches south of Newcastle as well as some interesting sights to view along the way.  The beaches are nearly all fantastic and most of them are good for surfing as well as a swim or relaxing on the sand.

Lifeguards do not patrol all of these beaches, so if you plan a swim, you should go to a patrolled beach and swim between the flags.  This way, if you or someone with you gets into difficulty in the water, a lifeguard is nearby.

Snapper Point

Snapper Point is part of the New South Wales National Parks Monmouth State Conservation Area.  As such you need to abide by any sign they have placed.  There is a small car park when you arrive and a small fee for using the park.  This was the only place we visited on the day with a parking fee.

As the name implies, it is a popular fishing spot.  It is popular with rock fishers, who cast out into the ocean for the fish.  From the number of memorials there, it has also proven fatal to some fishermen who have been swept from the rocks and drowned.  There are now safety rings in place should anyone fall in.

We stayed clear of the lower wave washed rocks and admired the views from the top.  There is a series of sea caves cut into the cliffs nearby and they are clearly visible from the lookout. The ocean views are great, but it was the sea caves that we came to see and watching the ocean waves rolling into them was amazing.

Frazer Beach

Frazer Beach is in the Lake Munmorah State Conservation Area so is very close to Snapper Point and adjacent to Bongon Beach. It has a camping ground right next to the beach or you can pay for a day pass at the machines in the car park.

The beach is amazing being wide and sandy with rock platforms on either side. Surfing is popular here and a few groups were out in the surf when we arrived. This isn’t a patrolled beach so swimming is not advised.

To the north of the beach is Bongon Beach and Snapper Point while to the south is a large rock platform, which we walked over. It has some interesting rock pools and geological features although we found the rock pools at Bongon Beach to be better. There were also a few rock fishermen here trying their luck.

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Bongon Beach

Bongon Beach, located between Snapper Point and Frazer Beach is a very small sandy beach but has some very nice rock pools in the adjacent rock platform.

We walked to Bongon from Frazer Beach by climbing over the rock ledge dividing the two beaches. The platform near Snapper Point was very interesting as we arrived at low tide and all of the rock pools were exposed. Some were very nice with great colours and it was nice to watch the tide forcing the water into them. During the summer months these rock pools would definitely be the place to sit and relax.

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Catherine Hill Bay

Catherine Hill Bay is one of the best surfing spots on the coast.  It has a great beach, surf house; and the town’s pub is legendary.  Unfortunately for us there was a lot of road work being done in the town and the pub was full. So instead, we walked on the beach for a while and then checked out the old heritage listed coal loading pier.

It is a very pleasant spot and very relaxing. As we walked along the beach we were able to see people surfing and some old wooden piers sticking out of the sand, slowly being weathered away.

Caves Beach

Another of the great beaches south of Newcastle is Cave’s Beach named not surprisingly after the sea caves in the area.  If you want to explore the cave, make sure you go at low tide.  You can check this on the internet.  At high tide, the cave is flooded, and access is cut off. During the week we have found it to be quiet, but on a sunny weekend, it will be crowded, with people swimming and exploring the cave.

Entering the cave is not dangerous.  There are no warning signs and access is free. You can walk through the cave and out the other side to a rock platform.  The cliff here also has some smaller caves to look at.  The platform itself is quite interesting, with rock pools with algae growing in them.  Be careful of your footing as the rocks can be slippery.

There is a kiosk next to the beach selling snacks and cold drinks during the week.  On the weekends, there is a bar that also opens.

A larger post on Caves Beach and surrounding walking tracks can be found here.

Swansea Heads and Reid’s Mistake

Swansea Headland looks over the entrance to the Swansea Channel and down onto Reid’s Mistake Head.  There is a great view from here and if you drive to the end of the track, you will find the Maritime Rescue Station with more great views.

Below the headland, you can access the base of the cliff and the rock platform from a car park near Reid’s Reserve. If you look carefully at low tide, you will find the remains of a petrified forest that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and buried in volcanic ash.  The cliff is made of tuff, a stone made from the ash of the volcanic eruption.

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Redhead Beach

Our last stop heading north was Redhead Beach.  This is a very popular Newcastle beach and has a big car park and facilities.  The most striking feature, apart from the excellent beach is the old shark spotting tower perched on rocks in front of the club house.

So, if you want to visit some beaches south of Newcastle and do more than just swim or sunbathe, give some of these places a try.

As you drive along the highway, see if the can spot the Big Prawn on top of the sign for a closed shopping centre.  Australia loves its “Big” things.

If you want to read about Newcastle Beaches, click here

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To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.