Beach of the Week: Stanwell Park

The City of Wollongong's northernmost beach at Stanwell Park offers something for every kind of beachgoer. Here’s what you need to know, thanks to the award-winning lifesaving club which has been patrolling here since 1908

Stanwell Park is family-friendly beach with plenty to do, from surfing to swimming to dog walking.

Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club president Lee Bailey says: “The ocean [at Stanwell Park] is an awesome place and can be enjoyed by all, be it a three-year-old splashing in the water’s edge, a teenager enjoying the shore break, a fisho hitting one of the holes or channels and bringing in some flathead, to the surfer tearing up the face of some magic waves.”

Stanwell Park has consistent swell year-round, receiving a mixture of ground swells and wind swells.

There are, of course, hazards at any beach, and Stanwell Park has a few of its own.

Lee says: “The shore is quite steep and as a result the waves often jack up quickly and then come down very hard and quick. Great fun for a grommet but it can catch people unawares and many a swimmer or surfer has gone over the falls and got dumped onto the sand.

“You get the normal hazards associated with any marine environment. For example, blue bottles when the nor'easter blows in summer, but you also get dolphins and seals surfing the waves and whales breaching offshore.

“We normally have a couple of sand banks out from the northern and southern lagoon and there are rips associated with these banks. The northern lagoon rip can present problems as this is normally the entry point to the beach for most visitors and people walk straight into the surf and into the rip. Swim between the flags and you will be right [as] the flags are always set up in the safest area of the beach.”

Like all of Wollongong’s 17 patrolled beaches, Helensburgh-Stanwell Park Surf Life Saving Club raised the red and yellow flags in late September and its volunteer lifesavers will patrol on Sundays and public holidays until swim season ends in April.

On weekdays and Saturdays, Wollongong City Council’s lifeguard teams patrol Stanwell Park Beach from 9am until 6pm. As one of few Illawarra clubs to offer the service, a small team of volunteer lifesavers from Helensburgh-Stanwell Park SLSC go the extra mile and assist council lifeguards on Saturdays as patrol hours are extended due to Stanwell Park's tourist beach status.

If you’ve had enough of the sun, sand, and salt water for the day, head up to Bald Hill at the top of Lawrence Hargrave Drive for spectacular views over Stanwell Park and the entire Illawarra coastline. Grab a coffee and something to eat at the Flying High Cafe and top off your day with an ice-cream from the Bald Hill Ice Cream Van.

Remember to always swim at patrolled beaches between the red and yellow flags. Visit Council's Beach Safety page for top tips.

Stanwell Park is also a great spot for:

Picnics The park area next to the beach is the perfect spot to stop for lunch, with shaded picnic areas, barbecues, toilet and shower facilities, a large open reserve and playground for the kids, recently renovated kiosk, and sensational views of hang gliders and paragliders passing overhead from Bald Hill. The Pantry @ Stanwell Park serves everything from hot drinks and snacks to breakfast and lunchtime meals.

Dogs The northern end has an off-leash area while the southern stretch is a timed on-leash area – find more information and maps on Council’s website.