Seven Mile Beach NSW, from Gerroa to Shoalhaven Heads

Find Seven Mile Beach on the NSW South Coast

Other Australian beaches share the name. This guide covers the one on the NSW South Coast, between Kiama and Nowra. Destination Kiama describes it as just over 12 km of coastline, running from Gerroa in the north to Shoalhaven Heads in the south, and it is backed for most of that length by sand dunes and forest.

Almost all of the beach sits inside Seven Mile Beach National Park, a small coastal park managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The park is always open, but it can close in poor weather or when fire danger is high, so check the NPWS alerts page on the morning you go.

The Gerroa end is the part most visitors see first. The village sits on the headland at the northern end of the beach, beside the mouth of Crooked River, and from the Kingsford Smith lookout you can see the whole sweep of sand curving south to Mount Coolangatta. Our Gerroa guide covers the village itself.

Drive down from Kiama in under 20 minutes

NPWS directions from Sydney and Wollongong are simple: turn off the Princes Highway at Gerringong and drive south through Gerroa into the park. From Nowra, turn off the highway at Bolong Road in Bomaderry and follow it as it becomes Gerroa Road. Roads are sealed and suit any 2WD car.

There are two entry points, Beach Road and Crooked River. Parking is available at both NPWS picnic areas, with accessible parking at Beach Road.

Seven Mile Beach National Park is not one of the 45 NSW parks that charge a vehicle entry fee, so there is no park pass to buy. Mobile reception is limited inside the park, and NPWS suggests downloading the Emergency Plus app before you go so that, if you need to call 000, emergency services can find you by GPS.

Picnic at Beach Road or in the bush at Gerroa

NPWS runs two picnic areas in the park, and they suit different days.

Beach Road picnic area sits under shady bangalay trees a moment from the sand. It has barbecues, picnic tables, a large sheltered area, open grass for blankets, toilets, showers and drinking water. A short walk away, a viewing platform looks out over the beach. It is the place for a family barbecue, a game of beach cricket or a long lunch out of the wind.

Gerroa picnic area is smaller and quieter, in a secluded bush setting near the northern end. NPWS lists toilets, showers, picnic tables and drinking water, but no barbecues, so bring a packed lunch. From here you walk over the dunes to swim or fish.

Both picnic areas open from 6am to 8pm in summer and 6am to 6pm in winter, and close overnight. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in NSW national parks.

Walk the sand tracks through the dune forest

Two NPWS walking tracks run through the forest behind the beach, and both let you come back along the sand.

• Sand track walk (north): 3 km one way, 2.5 to 3.5 hours, grade 4. It starts at Beach Road picnic area and heads north through dune blackbutt, bangalay forest and littoral rainforest to Gerroa picnic area, finishing with wide views of the beach. Return the way you came or walk back on the sand.
• Sand track walk (south): 2 km one way, 1.5 to 2.5 hours, grade 4. It starts at the southern end of Beach Road picnic area and follows the level hind dunes parallel to the beach through tall blackbutt forest and patches of rare bangalay sand forest. NPWS calls it easy enough for the whole family. About halfway, you reach the middle of Seven Mile Beach, with sand running out of sight in both directions.

Bring a hat, sunscreen, water and binoculars. NPWS suggests the southern walk for whale watching as well as birds, so it is worth doing in the migration months. Our whale watching guide has the season dates.

Swim or learn to surf at the Gerroa end

Destination Kiama describes Seven Mile as a flat beach for swimming and surfing for all levels and ages. The north end near Gerroa has shallow water and mellow waves that suit kids and beginners, and the shallows at the Crooked River mouth are toddler-friendly. Surf schools run lessons at several spots along the beach.

The beach is only patrolled in summer. Kiama Council's 2026 to 2027 timetable has lifeguards on Seven Mile Beach every day from 21 December to 31 January and on weekends in February. Outside those dates there is no patrol, and a long open beach like this can have rips anywhere along it, so swim only between the red and yellow flags and check conditions on Beachsafe first.

More experienced surfers head to Black Point, the headland at Gerroa, which Destination Kiama says has a left-hand reef break for intermediate and experienced surfers. For the wider picture of breaks around town, see our Kiama surf guide.

Cast a line from the beach or Crooked River

NPWS lists fishing among the main things to do in the park, and Destination Kiama names both Seven Mile Beach and Crooked River as shore fishing spots.

Check the NSW DPI fishing pages for licence rules and bag limits before you go. Our Kiama fishing guide covers more spots around town.

Stand where Kingsford Smith took off for New Zealand

Seven Mile Beach has a place in aviation history. On 11 January 1933, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith took off from the beach in the Southern Cross on his record flight across the Tasman Sea to New Plymouth, New Zealand. Destination Kiama says the beach was chosen because its length gave the heavily loaded plane a long, smooth run. NPWS notes the flight led to the start of the trans-Tasman airmail service, and that Kingsford Smith ran passenger flights from the beach in November 1933 and made an emergency landing here in 1934.

The Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial and Lookout, on the corner of Fern Street and Headland Drive in Gerroa, marks the flight with a memorial shaped like the Southern Cross and a plaque. It has a carpark, welcomes visitors with access needs and gives panoramic views over Seven Mile Beach and the national park. Our Kiama sunrise and sunset guide has more lookouts around the coast.

Look for gliders, lorikeets and shell middens

The park is more than a beach. NPWS says its forests are one of the last intact areas of bangalay and blackbutt sand dune forest on the NSW South Coast, and the whole park is a relatively intact example of a large dune barrier that formed at the end of the last ice age, about 6,000 years ago. Behind it lies Coomonderry Swamp, which NPWS describes as the only large semi-permanent freshwater wetland on the south coast.

Birdwatchers can look for rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, rosellas, thornbills, wrens, New Holland honeyeaters and brown cuckoo doves in the tall forest. Greater gliders live in the park too, and are seen at night. NPWS mentions spotlight walks with a Discovery Ranger, so check its events listings if you want to go looking with a guide.

The beach, forest and wetlands were once important sources of food and materials for Aboriginal people of the Dharawal language group. NPWS notes that shell middens can still be seen along the foredune and in the forest, and that the park holds several culturally significant sites. Leave middens as you find them.

Bring the dog to Black Head, not the national park

Dogs are not allowed in Seven Mile Beach National Park, apart from certified assistance animals, and that includes the beach inside the park. If you are travelling with a dog, Kiama Council's Black Head Reserve off-leash area in Gerroa is a few minutes away, with views over Seven Mile Beach and the Pacific. Reach it from Stafford Street or Headland Drive, and keep your dog on a leash outside the signed area.

Most apartments at Kiama Ridge Waters take pets, with a $200 pet cleaning fee. See pet-friendly accommodation in Kiama for the rules, and our Kiama beaches guide for the beaches closer to town.

Eat and stay at the Gerroa end

There is no cafe inside the national park, so pack food or eat in Gerroa before or after. Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park sits between the north end of the beach and Crooked River, with its beachside cabins backing onto the sand. For more choices, Gerringong is a short drive back towards Kiama. See our Gerringong cafes and restaurants guide.

Pick your season

NPWS gives average temperatures of 17 to 25°C in summer and 8 to 18°C in winter. March is the wettest month and September the driest. Its seasonal suggestions are a good guide to planning:

• Summer: an early morning swim, then breakfast at the beach picnic area and a stroll along the sand.
• Autumn: walks among the tall forest trees and picnics at Gerroa.
• Winter: cool, quiet beach walks and lunch at the sheltered Beach Road picnic area.
• Spring: flowering wattles and nesting birds in the forest and dunes.

For a full day out, pair the beach with a drive inland to Berry, which NPWS lists about 8 km from the park, or with a walk along Werri Beach on the way home.

Make Seven Mile Beach a day trip from Kiama Ridge Waters

Kiama Ridge Waters is on a residential street in south Kiama, not on the beach, and you will need a car for Seven Mile. The upside is how close it is. The Gerroa end is about 14 minutes' drive (12.3 km) from the apartments, and the Beach Road picnic area about 19 minutes (15.8 km). That makes it easy to swim in the morning and be back at the apartment for lunch.

Every apartment has three bedrooms and a full kitchen, and sleeps up to six. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by 10am. See the apartments, or check dates and book. For closer swims on the days you don't want to drive, Easts Beach is a 15-minute walk away. See our Easts Beach guide.