Where the ocean meets the lake
A laidback seaside holiday town, Swansea lends its name to the anglers’ paradise that is Swansea Channel, the shallow waterway where Lake Macquarie connects to the Pacific Ocean.
Get your bearings and survey the eastern shoreline of the lake from the accessible Pirrita Island boardwalk through the mangroves of Miners Point, north of Swansea’s town centre. Splash about in the shallow waters of Swansea Bay Beach, opposite Swansea Lakeside Holiday Park at one end of the Pirrita Island boardwalk, or get out on the water on a CoastXP cruise from Pelican, on the other side of Swansea Channel.
There are great beaches either side of Swansea: family-friendly Blacksmiths Beach stretches north from the Swansea Channel breakwater towards Belmont Wetlands State Park and Nine Mile Beach, while the surf breaks of Hams Beach and the Insta-famous Caves Beach lie to the south of channel.
Discover the joys of surfing at Caves Beach or Blacksmiths Beach during lessons with Newcastle Surf School, or simply enjoy a dip at the patrolled sections of either beach. Head to the southern end of the Caves Beach at low tide to explore the namesake caves carved out by the sea over the years. If you’re feeling adventurous, follow the coastal walking track from the headland above Caves Beach south along the coast all the way to Pinny Beach in Wallarah National Park.
