Jetty Beach

Best for: accessible swimming, family days out, Sunday markets and nearby cafes

Jetty Beach is a protected beach right on the edge of the city and home to the famous Coffs Harbour Jetty. It has accessible infrastructure like a beach mat and beach wheelchairs, and it's patrolled during the summer holidays. Every Sunday, the Harbourside Markets pop up in the street behind the beach, with stalls selling local produce, clothes, homewares and more. You'll also find plenty of restaurants and cafes just a short stroll away.

Facilities: Toilets, showers, wheelchair-accessible beach mat and two free-to-book beach wheelchairs, nearby cafes and restaurants

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, during the summer school holidays

Insider tip: Combine your swim with the return walk to Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve at the northern end, which takes around an hour. Look out for the protected colony of wedge-tailed shearwaters and whales offshore in winter.

Jetty Beach, Coffs Harbour

Park Beach

Best for: surfing, swimming, fishing, kayaking and headland walks

Coffs Creek meets the ocean at Park Beach, a long stretch of sand just to the north of Coffs Harbour. A popular spot for surfing, fishing, kayaking and swimming, you can also walk the full length of the beach and then along Macauleys Headland Walk. There are lots of beachside dining options and accommodation nearby, as well as the Twilight Food Markets on Fridays.

Facilities: Toilets, showers, free-to-book beach wheelchair, beachside dining and accommodation nearby

Patrolled: Yes – patrolled year-round, seven days a week (it’s Coffs Harbour’s only beach with 365-day patrol)

Insider tip: Take care around the mouth of Coffs Creek at the southern end, where tidal currents can run strong, and always swim between the flags.

Park Beach, Coffs Harbour

Diggers Beach

Best for: sheltered swimming, surfing and sunset strolls

Located right across the road from Coffs Harbour's Big Banana, Diggers Beach is a wide and sheltered spot that’s almost always protected from the wind. Head north along the beach and you'll find secluded Little Diggers Beach, an unofficial nudist beach. If you fancy a walk, the trail from Diggers Beach to Charlesworth Bay takes you through rainforest and past the Solitary Islands Aquarium. Then refuel with fresh seafood, woodfired pizza and cocktails on the sunny terrace of Aanuka Beach House, just steps from the sand.

Facilities: Toilets and showers at the main beach access

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, during the spring, summer and autumn school holidays

Insider tip: Stay beachfront at BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort where a private path leads straight onto the sand – ideal for an early surf check or a barefoot sunset walk home.

Diggers Beach, Coffs Harbour

Moonee Beach

Best for: nature-immersed swimming, snorkelling, picnics and wildlife-spotting

North of Coffs Harbour is Moonee Beach, where ocean caves, coastal rainforest and pandanus trees line the sand. This beautiful nature reserve is home to rare and threatened species of animals, birds and plants. The calm waters are ideal for snorkelling and the rock pools at the northern end are home to lots of interesting creatures.

Facilities: Playground, picnic shelters, barbecues, toilets, beach showers and a takeaway shop at Moonee Beach Reserve

Patrolled: No – this beach is unpatrolled, so swim with care

Insider tip: This area is the traditional homeland of the Gumbaynggirr people and you can learn more about their culture with Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours, paddling up Moonee Creek on a SUP or kayak

Moonee Beach - Credit: Coffs Coast Visitor Services

Emerald Beach

Best for: family swims, surfing and kangaroo-spotting

About 15 minutes’ north of Coffs Harbour, the beautiful Emerald Beach is popular with both surfers and swimmers, and it's often quieter than other beaches along this coastline. With a picnic area and playground behind the beach, it's a great option for families. At the southern end of the beach is the Look At Me Now Headland Walk, a 1.3-kilometre walk that’s know for its resident kangaroos and whale watching in winter.

Facilities: Picnic area and playground behind the beach

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, during the summer school holidays

Insider tip: Visit the Look At Me Now Headland in the late afternoon for the best chance of spotting some of the many eastern grey kangaroos grazing on the headland.

Look At Me Now Headland Walk, Emerald Beach

Sawtell Main Beach

Best for: surfing, cafe culture and rock pool exploring

Waves lap onto sandy dunes at main beach in Sawtell, a popular spot with surfers that’s about 15 minutes’ south of Coffs Harbour. Around the Bonville Headland at the southern end of the beach is the Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool, the only ocean pool on the Coffs Coast. At low tide, walk out to the small island sheltering Sailors Bay at the southern end of the beach, then continue past Bonville Headland to the rock pools. With cool cafes, restaurants and boutiques nearby, it's also a great spot for those out of the water too.

Facilities: Toilets and showers via the surf club, cafes, restaurants and boutiques nearby

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, seven days a week between the spring and autumn school holidays

Insider tip: Get out on the water on a kayak or stand-up paddleboard tour with C-Change Adventures. They’ll take you out into the ocean in search of dolphins or along the calm Bonville Creek.

C-Change Adventures, Coffs Harbour

Arrawarra-Corindi Beach

Best for: beginner surfing, longboarding and rock pools

A popular surf spot, Arrawarra-Corindi Beach has gentle waves, ideal for beginners and longboarders. It’s close to the northern edge of the Coffs Coast, about half an hour from Coffs Harbour. There are great rock pools and leash-free sections where your pooch can frolic in the sand.

Facilities: Picnic tables, toilets, beach showers, barbecue facilities and a playground

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, during the summer school holidays

Insider tip: Mojosurf hosts their Spot X Surf Camp here, right on the beach. Spend a few days or a week learning to surf, kayaking along the river, playing beach volleyball and sleeping in tipis.

Mojosurf, Arrawarra

Woolgoolga Beach

Best for: surfing, fishing, diving and snorkelling, plus winter whale watching

Known locally as ‘Woopi’, Woolgoolga Beach was named the best mainland beach in Australia in 2025. This gorgeous arc of pale sand is great for surfing, fishing, diving and snorkelling. It has tidal rock platforms and rock pools at the southern end, which are popular with kids. This is also a great spot to visit in winter, as Woolgoolga Headland is considered one of the best places in the region for whale watching between June and October.

Facilities: Toilets, showers, change rooms, shelters, picnic area, kiosk and shops nearby, parking

Patrolled: Yes – seasonally, seven days a week between the spring and autumn school holidays

Insider tip: Book a beginner surf lesson with Solitary Islands Surf School. Lessons run right on Woolgoolga Beach, with the gentle, consistent swell making it an ideal spot to catch your first wave.

Solitary Islands Surf School, Woolgoolga

Nambucca Heads

Best for: sheltered swimming and variety, with a beach to suit every mood

There are several stunning beaches to choose from at Nambucca Heads, including Main Beach, Shelly Beach, Beilbys Beach and South Beach, which is in the Gaagal Wanggaan (South Beach) National Park. Shelly Beach has been named one of the most beautiful in Australia and it leads on to the river estuary, perfect for kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. Main Beach is popular with surf schools, thanks to its small, gentle waves that are perfect for beginners, while South Beach is where experienced board riders like to go.

Facilities: Main Beach and Shelly Beach are the only ones with toilets and showers, the others are very basic

Patrolled: Main Beach: yes, during summer school holidays and weekends from October to Easter. Other beaches: unpatrolled

Insider tip: Head to Shelly Beach for the calmest swim in the area – its headland creates a natural, sheltered pocket that's ideal for families.

Nambucca Heads - Credit: The Legendary Pacific Coast

Bongil Bongil National Park

Best for: 4WD beach driving, solitude and koala-spotting walks

You can enjoy over seven kilometres of pristine beach in Bongil Bongil National Park, a secluded pocket south of Sawtell. Getting to Bongil Beach requires a short walk through the forest, but once you’re there you may not spot another soul. A fantastic spot to get away from the crowds, it’s popular with the locals for beach fishing and you can also drive your 4WD along North Beach below the Bundagen Headland.

Facilities: No beach facilities – this is an undeveloped national park beach, so bring your own supplies

Patrolled: No – unpatrolled

Insider tip: Follow one of the trails through the forest behind the beach and you might spot a koala, as the national park is home to one of the largest koala populations in the state.

Bongil Bongil National Park, Coffs Coast - Credit: Rob Cleary