Kiama sunrise and sunset spots, times and first light

Know what time the sun rises in Kiama

Sunrise in Kiama ranges from about 5:30am to just after 7am across the year, and daylight saving moves it by an hour overnight. Here are the times for the 15th of each month in 2026, from the sunrise-sunset.org calendar for Kiama Downs, just north of town. First light is the start of civil twilight, when there is enough light to be outside without a torch.

Here are the extremes for 2026:

• Earliest sunrise: 5:31am on 3 October, the last morning before daylight saving.
• Latest sunrise: 7:11am on 4 April, the last morning of daylight saving.
• Earliest sunset: 4:52pm around 12 June.
• Latest sunset: 8:13pm in the first week of January.
• Longest day: 22 December, with 14 hours 29 minutes of daylight.
• Shortest day: 21 June, with about 9 hours 50 minutes.

First light comes about 25 to 30 minutes before sunrise, and the sky often shows its strongest colour in that window. For your exact dates, check WillyWeather's Kiama sunrise and sunset times the night before. In mid-October, for example, first light is about 5.45am and sunrise about 6.15am. Calculators can differ by a minute or so.

Allow for daylight saving

NSW clocks went forward one hour at 2am on Sunday 4 October 2026, and they go back one hour at 3am on Sunday 4 April 2027, according to the NSW Government. That is why sunrise jumps from about 5:31am to 6:30am in early October, then drifts back to around 5:36am by early December.

If you are visiting in the first week of October or April, check the time on the morning itself.

Pick a spot to suit the season

The sun does not rise due east all year. Near the June solstice it comes up roughly 30 degrees north of east, and near the December solstice roughly 30 degrees south of east. Around the March and September equinoxes it rises close to due east. Because Kiama's beaches and headlands face different ways, the same spot can frame the sun over open water in one season and behind a headland in another.

• Winter (June to August): the latest sunrises, around 7am in June and July, so you can watch without a pre-dawn alarm. Humpbacks pass the coast from about May to November, so keep an eye out at dawn. See whale watching in Kiama.
• Spring (September to November): sunrise moves from near due east towards the south-east. Early October, before daylight saving, has the earliest clock times of the year.
• Summer (December to February): sunrise from about 5:36am in early December to about 6:40am by late February under daylight saving, rising south of east. Warm mornings suit a swim straight after.
• Autumn (March to May): the sun swings back towards due east and then north-east, and sunrise gets later until the clocks go back in April.

For an exact bearing on your date, the sunrise-sunset.org sun position chart shows where the sun sits through the day. Check the Kiama weather too, as low cloud on the horizon can hide the sun entirely.

Walk to Easts Beach for sunrise

Easts Beach is the closest sunrise spot to the apartments, a 15-minute walk (1.3 km) from 2 Surfleet Place. The beach faces east, so the sun comes up over the water. To see first light, leave about 15 minutes before the first-light time in the table above, and bring a torch or phone light for the walk in the dark months.

Kendalls Beach, a 16-minute walk (1.4 km), is another option close by. Read more in our Easts Beach guide, or open Easts Beach in Google Maps.

Frame the Lighthouse from Blowhole Point

Blowhole Point juts out into the ocean in the middle of town, with Kiama Lighthouse and the Kiama Blowhole on the same headland. Both make strong foregrounds against a dawn sky. The point is open 24 hours and has a car park, so you can drive in before sunrise. From the apartments it is about a 5-minute drive or a 35-minute walk (2.8 to 2.9 km).

If the swell is running from the south-east, the Blowhole may fire as the light comes up. On the north side of the point, the Blowhole Point ocean pool is cut into the rock, so you can follow sunrise with a swim. See Kiama rock pools and Kiama Harbour for more. Find it on Google Maps.

Photograph Cathedral Rocks at first light

Cathedral Rocks are towering basalt stacks at the southern end of Jones Beach, off Cliff Drive in Kiama Downs, about 3 km north of Kiama. The NSW Government says they are particularly spectacular at sunrise, and that the 30 minutes before and after sunrise often bring the strongest colour and softest light. Destination Kiama also recommends sunrise here, for the contrast between the dark basalt and the first light of day.

• Getting there: about 9 minutes by car (7.4 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters. Open Cathedral Rocks in Google Maps.
• Cost: free.
• Viewpoints: Destination Kiama notes you can see the rocks from several sides, including from the cave at low tide. The Kiama Coast Walk is nearby.
• Access: the official listing says the site does not cater for people with access needs.

Destination Kiama asks visitors to take only photos and leave only footprints. Check the tide before heading down to the cave, and stay well back from the water on the rocks.

Catch dawn at Bombo Headland Quarry

The disused basalt quarry on Bombo Headland is, in Destination Kiama's words, a much-loved spot for sunrise meet-ups and astrophotography. It is a 10-minute walk from the north Bombo car park to the rock formations, where you can watch the early light catch the sea spray as the swell hits the rock faces.

Wear sturdy shoes, as the ground is uneven. Bombo Headland Quarry is about 8 minutes by car (7 km) from the apartments. Open Bombo Headland Quarry in Google Maps.

Drive up Saddleback Mountain for sunrise

Saddleback Mountain Lookout rises more than 600 metres above sea level, on Jack Cleary Memorial Drive off Saddleback Mountain Road. Destination Kiama recommends it at dawn, to catch the golden light on the green slopes and the blue ocean below.

• Views: on a clear day you can see from Cronulla in the north to Milton in the south. There is a north-facing platform off the main car park and a southern platform further up.
• Getting there: about 9 minutes by car (6.8 km) from Kiama Ridge Waters. Look out for the historic dry stone walls on the drive up. Open Saddleback Mountain Lookout in Google Maps.
• Walk on: Hoddles Track starts at the lookout and follows green marker posts west into the escarpment.

More detail is in our Saddleback Mountain guide and our list of Kiama lookouts.

Watch the sunset from the headlands and hills

Kiama's coast faces east, so the sun sets behind the escarpment rather than over the sea. That means the sun drops out of sight a few minutes before the official sunset time, as it does behind any hills. Instead of a sun-on-the-water shot, look for silhouettes and colour in the sky over the ocean.

• Minnamurra Headland: where the river meets the surf. Destination Kiama says the sun sets behind Saddleback Mountain from here, throwing the hills into silhouette. It is on the Kiama Coast Walk, about 12 minutes by car. See our Minnamurra guide or open Minnamurra Headland in Google Maps.
• Seven Mile Beach from Gerroa: the Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial Lookout above Gerroa looks down the beach, which runs just over 12 km to Shoalhaven Heads, with Coolangatta Mountain and the escarpment silhouetted at sunset. It is about 12 minutes by car (11 km). See Seven Mile Beach and Gerroa, or open the lookout in Google Maps.

For a glass of wine as the light fades, Destination Kiama suggests timing a visit to a Gerringong winery for sundown.

Get the shot with a few simple habits

• Arrive at first light: the sky often colours up before the sun appears, and the 30 minutes either side of sunrise are the window to plan around.
• Hope for some cloud: a little high cloud catches the colour. A thick bank on the horizon can block the sun altogether.
• Check swell and tide: the Bureau of Meteorology coastal forecast covers swell, which decides whether the Blowhole fires and how much spray hits Bombo's rocks. Plan Cathedral Rocks' cave around low tide.
• Steady the camera: a small tripod helps in low light, and a wide lens fits the headlands in.
• Stay safe on the rocks: take a head torch, wear grippy shoes, and never turn your back on the sea on a rock platform.

After sunrise, warm up with breakfast in town. See Kiama cafes and where to eat in Kiama. For more after dark, read Kiama at night.

Stay a 15-minute walk from sunrise at Kiama Ridge Waters

Wake up a 15-minute walk (1.3 km) from sunrise at Easts Beach. Each of our three-bedroom apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps six, with secure parking for two cars, so it is easy to load the car in the dark for Saddleback or Cathedral Rocks. Kiama station and the town centre are about 27 minutes on foot.

Most of our apartments welcome pets (a $200 cleaning fee applies). Check-in is from 3pm and check-out is by 10am, which leaves time for a final sunrise walk. See our three-bedroom apartments in Kiama, group stays and pet-friendly accommodation in Kiama, or check availability. If you are still comparing, read where to stay in Kiama.