Kiama Harbour, the 1876 Robertson Basin beside Blowhole Point

Get your bearings at Kiama Harbour

Kiama Harbour sits right at the edge of the town centre, where Terralong Street meets the sea. The basin is tucked behind Blowhole Point, so the Kiama Blowhole, the Kiama Lighthouse and the harbour are all within a few minutes' walk of each other.

Here is the harbour at a glance, drawn from Destination Kiama, Visit NSW and Kiama Council.

Learn how the Robertson Basin was built

Before the basin, Kiama's harbour was little more than mooring chains and jetties at Black Beach. Kiama Library says storms often swept them away, only one ship could load at a time, and in bad seas boats could be stuck in port, or kept out of it, for weeks. Local residents petitioned for a better harbour from 1849 to 1855.

The answer was to blast a basin out of the basalt. Destination Kiama says the harbour was completed in 1876 after 16 years of work. Kiama Library's heritage plaque records that it was officially opened that year by Miss Charles, on the deck of the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company's ship Hunter. Destination Kiama adds that fill from the harbour floor was used to join Blowhole Point to the mainland.

The rock that came out of the hole changed the town. According to the library, the excavated stone started crushing for road building, brought in workers who weren't farmers, and launched Kiama's blue metal industry. Ships loaded the crushed stone from staiths on the harbour's edge, and the lighthouse on the point followed in 1887.

Walk the harbour from Black Beach to Blowhole Point

The harbour is compact enough to see in one easy stroll. Start at Black Beach on Terralong Street and walk east towards the point.

• Black Beach: named for its black basalt sand and cobbles, between the harbour and the town centre. Destination Kiama says it draws more snorkellers than swimmers. The grassy reserve behind it has picnic areas, toilets and a granite ping-pong table, and markets run there on the third Sunday of the month (see Kiama markets).
• The SS Bombo memorial: beside Black Beach, plaques remember the SS Bombo, which sank in February 1949 on its way to Sydney loaded with blue metal, with the loss of crew. The wreck is now a dive site.
• Kiama Post Office: the 1878 post office (opened in 1880) is close by.
• The cargo sheds and wharf: Destination Kiama points out the renovated heritage cargo sheds, and the wharf is home to Cargo Fish and Chips.
• Robertson Basin: the stone-walled basin itself, full of fishing and charter boats.
• Blowhole Point: carry on up to the lighthouse, the Blowhole and the rock pool.

Destination Kiama lists the harbour as welcoming people with access needs. Our Kiama Coast Walk guide shows how to keep going north to Bombo or south past the town beaches.

Buy seafood straight off the boats

Fishing boats still moor in the basin, and the place to buy seafood is Kiama Fisheries, the market on the eastern side of the harbour. Expect fish, prawns and oysters, with stock changing day to day.

Its Google Business Profile lists it as open Wednesday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm, Saturday 9am to 4pm and Sunday 8.30am to 3pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday. Hours change around holidays and the weather, so check before you go. Bring an esky if you are driving back, and pick up what you need for a barbecue at the apartment.

Eat fish and chips by the harbour

Fish and chips on the grass with the boats in front of you is the classic harbour lunch. Keep your chips covered: the gulls and pelicans know the routine. For more choices, see our guides to Kiama fish and chips and where to eat in Kiama. Hours below come from each venue's own site or Google listing, so check before you go.

Launch a boat or join a charter

The harbour has a boat ramp inside the basin. In 2022 and 2023 the NSW Government replaced the damaged seawall and retaining walls next to the ramp, finishing in April 2023. Transport for NSW finalised a Kiama Harbour Revitalisation Action Plan in 2021, and in 2025 the council set up a community working group on the harbour's future, so expect changes over the coming years.

Check the swell and the tide before you tow, and log on with Marine Rescue NSW when you head out.

If you don't have a boat, Kiama Charter Service runs reef and deep-sea fishing trips that leave Kiama Harbour at 6am, with tackle and bait included. Our Kiama fishing guide covers the other operators, licences and what's biting. For whales, see whale watching in Kiama.

Fish from the harbour walls

The harbour is the calmest place in town to drop a line, which makes it the easiest spot to fish with kids. Keep clear of the boat ramp and the commercial boats.

The open rock platform on the ocean side of Blowhole Point is a different story. Kiama is a declared area under the NSW Rock Fishing Safety Act, so anyone fishing from the rocks there must wear a lifejacket. Anglers 18 and over need a NSW recreational fishing licence. The details are in our Kiama fishing guide.

Swim and explore on Blowhole Point

The harbour's northern end runs straight into Blowhole Point Reserve. Destination Kiama says the ocean rock pool at the northern end of the harbour was built in 1888 and 1889; Kiama Council describes it as having a natural rock floor and a shallow area for small children, with toilets and change rooms. See Kiama's rock pools.

Up the slope is the Pilot's Cottage, built in 1881 and for many years home to the harbour pilots. The Kiama Historical Society runs it as a museum on shipping, the cedar trade and the basalt quarries, which is the harbour's story in one room. Destination Kiama lists it as open Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 3pm, with disabled access. Entry costs are not published, so check before you go.

The Kiama Visitor Information Centre is on the point too, for maps and local tips, and the council-run Kiama Harbour Cabins look over the harbour if you want to stay on the point.

Time your visit around the boats and crowds

• Early morning: the charter boats head out at 6am, and the harbour is at its quietest. See sunrise and sunset in Kiama.
• Opening time: Kiama Fisheries opens between 8.30am and 9.30am depending on the day, so buy your seafood early, before the weekend rush.
• Weekends and school holidays: the car parks around the harbour and the point fill fast. Arrive before 10am, read the parking signs, or walk in. Our Kiama parking guide lists other car parks.
• Rough days: a big south-east swell makes the Blowhole fire next door, while the basin stays sheltered.

Stay a short drive from the harbour

Buy your seafood at the harbour and cook it back at Kiama Ridge Waters on your own barbecue. Each of our three-bedroom apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps six, with a full kitchen, a laundry and secure parking for two cars. The harbour is about a 33-minute walk (2.7 km) or a 4 to 5-minute drive, and Easts Beach is a 15-minute walk in the other direction.

Most of our apartments welcome pets on request (a $200 cleaning fee applies). Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by 10am. See our three-bedroom apartments in Kiama, book several apartments for a group, pet-friendly accommodation in Kiama, or check availability. For other options, read where to stay in Kiama.