Kiama shops for your stay, from supermarkets to boutiques

Know where Kiama's shops are before you arrive

Kiama is small enough that most of what you need sits in two streets. Terralong Street is the main shopping strip, with Kiama Village and Woolworths at its western end and cafes, boutiques and the butcher running down towards the harbour. Manning Street runs south from it past Surf Beach, with a handy cluster of shops near Kiama Ridge Waters at its southern end. Times below are from the apartments at 2 Surfleet Place.

Opening hours change with the seasons and on public holidays, so check each business's website or Google listing before you go, especially on Sundays.

Stock up at Woolworths, the one big supermarket in Kiama

Kiama has one Woolworths, inside Kiama Village Shopping Centre at 143 Terralong Street. It is the only full-size supermarket in town, so it is the easy place for a first big shop on the day you arrive. Kiama Village also has a BWS bottle shop, a Bakers Delight and a pharmacy under the same roof (see our guide to Kiama pharmacies and doctors), which saves a second stop.

From Kiama Ridge Waters it is about a 4-minute drive (3.3 km). Walking takes about 38 minutes (3.1 km) each way, which is fine for a stroll but heavy with a week of groceries. Weekend afternoons in school holidays are the busiest time, so a weekday morning shop is quicker.

Drive to Shellharbour for Coles and ALDI

There is no Coles and no ALDI in Kiama. The nearest stores are north in Shellharbour, around 19 minutes' drive along the highway. Coles trades inside Stockland Shellharbour on Lake Entrance Road, and ALDI has stores at 5 Holm Place, Shellharbour City Centre, and 10 Ash Avenue, Albion Park Rail. ALDI has been linked to development plans in Kiama for years, but no Kiama store appears on its store locator, so plan on the drive.

It is worth doing if you are arriving from Sydney: both are close to the highway, so you can shop on the way down and arrive with a full boot. For a day out in the area, see our Shellharbour guide.

North of town, Kiama Downs has two smaller supermarkets: IGA Local Grocer on Johnson Street and FoodWorks on Meehan Drive, both about 10 minutes' drive away. They suit a top-up if you are already heading to Jones Beach or Bombo. Read more in our Kiama Downs guide.

Grab fruit, veg and the basics at Top Shop on Manning Street

The nearest shop to Kiama Ridge Waters is Top Shop Kiama at 162 Manning Street, about a 14-minute walk or 2-minute drive. Its Google listing describes a local grocer with fresh fruit and veg delivered daily, local free-range eggs, meat from a local butcher, local sourdough, artisan cheese and platter treats. It is the place for milk, bread and something for dinner without getting in the car.

Manning Street Cellars is in the same small group of shops, so one short walk covers groceries and a bottle of wine. For more fruit and veg, the Wednesday farmers market is the other good source in town.

Buy fresh bread from a Kiama bakery

Kiama has three bakeries in the town centre, each with a different style. Flour Water Salt, on Shoalhaven Street in the town centre, is a family-owned bakery cafe making sourdough with only flour, water and salt, plus cakes, biscuits, pastries, heat-and-eat meals and coffee. Slow Dough bakes sourdough and a rotating menu of sweet and savoury treats in the old minister's cottage on the corner of Manning and Bong Bong Streets, about a 28-minute walk from the apartments. For sliced bread, rolls and lunchbox basics, Bakers Delight is inside Kiama Village next to Woolworths.

Sourdough sells out, so go earlier in the day for the full range. If you want coffee and breakfast too, see our guide to Kiama cafes.

Pick up meat and seafood for the BBQ

Every apartment has a BBQ, so a stop at the Kiama butcher is worth making. Butcher's Nook Kiama, formerly Rosebank Meats, is on Terralong Street in the middle of town. It sells locally sourced, grass-fed meat, sausages, skewers and value packs, plus Kareelah eggs, some fresh veg, pies, quiches, sauces and spices. You can order online and collect in store: orders before 1pm on weekdays or 9am on Saturdays are ready the same day, according to its website.

For fish and prawns, Kiama Fisheries sells seafood on the harbour, about a 5-minute drive away. It does not have its own website, so check its Google listing for current days and hours. While you are there, walk the Kiama Harbour foreshore, or skip the cooking and get fish and chips instead.

Choose a Kiama bottle shop near the apartments

Kiama has three main bottle shops. Manning Street Cellars is the closest, in the shopping strip at 160 Manning Street, about a 14-minute walk from the apartments. Its website lists opening hours of 10am to 8pm every day, with online orders ready to collect in about 30 minutes, and it can deliver locally. Cellarbrations on Shoalhaven Street, in the town centre, has a drive-through, according to its Google listing. BWS is inside Kiama Village, so it fits with a Woolworths shop.

If you would rather someone else pours, our guide to Kiama pubs covers where to go for a drink in town.

Shop the Kiama Farmers' Market on Wednesday afternoon

If your stay includes a Wednesday, plan dinner around the Kiama Farmers' Market. It runs every Wednesday afternoon at Coronation Park on Manning Street, beside Surf Beach, about a 23-minute walk or 4-minute drive from the apartments. Destination Kiama describes it as a must for fresh produce, with farmers and producers coming from across the region. Its listing includes seasonal fruit and vegetables, local beef, seafood and oysters, eggs, milk, honey, sourdough and ready-made meals.

Times shift between daylight saving and the rest of the year, and the market moves indoors in wet weather. Our Kiama markets guide has the current times and the weekend markets too.

Browse boutiques on Terralong, Manning and Collins Streets

Kiama's shopping is mostly independent. Destination Kiama points visitors to locally owned boutiques rather than big chains, and they sit within a few minutes' walk of each other in the town centre. Start on Terralong Street for skincare, gifts and handmade jewellery, then turn down Manning Street for clothing and homewares. Finish in Collins Street, where a row of timber terraces holds small shops selling gifts and handmade pieces.

Much of the parking in the centre is time limited, so read our Kiama parking guide before you drive in. The Kiama Visitor Information Centre at Blowhole Point also has a retail space with locally made products, artwork and souvenirs.

Plan one big shop and cook at the apartment

Do one big shop and you can cook every night at Kiama Ridge Waters. Each three-bedroom apartment has a full kitchen with an oven, gas cooktop, microwave, dishwasher, fridge and coffee machine, a dining table for six, a BBQ and a laundry, and garage parking for two cars makes unloading simple.

A routine that works well is one Woolworths, Coles or ALDI shop on the way in, a walk to Top Shop on Manning Street for top-ups, and the bakery, butcher and farmers market for fresh food during the week. Groups booking several apartments can split the shopping list between cars. See the apartments, plan a group stay or check dates and book.