Royal National ParkUnofficial Guide

Garie is highly hazardous — permanent rips, strong currents and boulders. Swim only between the flags when patrolled.

Garie on BeachSafe →
Garie Beach Surf Life Saving Club building on the green hillside above the Pacific with picnic table and coastal cliffs, Royal National Park NSW

Garie Beach

1.3 km of stunning surf coast — popular with surfers and families when patrols are on.

— checked against NPWS / BeachSafe where applicable.

Check NPWS alerts →
Garie Beach sand and surf looking along the coast, Royal National Park NSW
Garie Beach sand and surfPhoto: Ian Piggott
Garie Beach coastal shoreline and headland, Royal National Park NSW
Coast and headland at GariePhoto: Ian Piggott
Weathered timber Garie Surf Life Saving Club building with Royal Coast Track fingerpost, Royal National Park NSW
Garie SLSC and Coast Track markerPhoto: Brett Darby Photography

At a glance

Little Garie to the south is GBHR 6/10. Off-season swimming is strongly discouraged.

Hazard rating

GBHR 7/10 — rips, strong currents, high surf

Patrols

Garie SLSC — weekends & public holidays, Oct–Apr

Parking

175 spaces at picnic area — gates lock at 8:30 pm

Access

McKell Ave → Sir Bertram Stevens Drive → Garie Road

Landscape & name

About a kilometre of sand where sandstone cliffs meet rock pools on the headlands. The slightly more sheltered southern end isLittle Garie (GBHR 6/10).

How Garie got its name is uncertain — one theory is an Aboriginal word for sleepy; another traces it to Geaty, a bush ranger who camped here in the 1800s. A major redevelopment from 2005 restored the creek line, built the 175-space carpark, and opened the solar-powered Garie Beach Surf Safety Centre (the former youth hostel nearby burnt down in 2010).

Getting there

From the park spine roads: McKell Ave → Sir Bertram Stevens Drive → Garie Road down to the beach carpark. Gates lock at 8:30 pm — plan your exit.

Brown tourist sign Garie Road pointing to Garie Beach beside a park road, Royal National Park NSW
Garie Road — beach turn-offPhoto: Brett Darby Photography

Facilities

  • Garie Beach Surf Safety Centre — kiosk, cold showers, toilets (solar-powered, rainwater)
  • Picnic tables at carpark — no barbecues
  • Bring drinking water
  • Home to Garie SLSC (since 1938) and Garie Boardriders (since 1978)
  • Garie Beach picnic area on NPWS →

Safety & patrols

  • Patrol hours: When patrolled in summer, typically 9 am–5 pm (NPWS)
  • Park open 7:00 am – 8:30 pm; entry $12 per vehicle per day
  • Check BeachSafe and NPWS alerts

Surfing & fishing

Dangerous conditions produce excellent east-coast surf. Fishing and whale watching May–October from coastal lookouts. Coast Track access via Garawarra carpark nearby — North Era campground is closed to camping in 2026.

Nearby planning

All beaches guideCamping guideNorth Era status — NPWSStays near Waterfall

Related guides

Unofficial guide — always verify conditions with NSW National Parks and BeachSafe before visiting.