Best Beaches in Jervis Bay (Ranked by a Local)

Ranking the Best Beaches in Jervis Bay

Every beach in Jervis Bay is beautiful. That’s not marketing spin — the marine park, the white sand, and the sheltered bay mean even the “worst” beach here would be the highlight of most coastal towns.

But they’re not all the same. Some are perfect for families, others for snorkelling, and a few will give you genuine solitude even in peak summer. Here’s my honest ranking of the best beaches around the bay, from someone who’s spent years walking every stretch of sand.

1. Murrays Beach

Best for: Snorkelling, photography, that “wow” moment

Murrays Beach is the one I send everyone to first. It’s inside Booderee National Park, which means you need to pay the $13 vehicle entry fee, but that small barrier keeps the crowds manageable.

The beach sits in a horseshoe cove with rocky headlands on each side. The water is absurdly clear — you can stand waist-deep and watch fish darting around the rocks below you. The snorkelling off the southern rocks is some of the best in NSW, with blue groper, cuttlefish, and enormous schools of bream. See our snorkelling and diving guide for the full rundown on what to expect underwater.

At low tide, rock platforms emerge that are perfect for exploring. The bush backdrop is untouched — no buildings, no car parks visible from the sand. Just eucalyptus, banksias, and birdsong.

Crowds: Moderate in summer, quiet in shoulder seasons. The car park is small and fills by 10am on hot weekends. Facilities: Toilets at the car park. No kiosk — bring everything you need. Parking: Small sealed car park, 400m walk to the beach through bush. The walk is part of the experience.

2. Greenfield Beach

Best for: Families, swimming, a genuinely perfect day out

Greenfield Beach is just north of Vincentia and it’s ridiculously good. Protected by headlands on both sides, it’s calm enough for toddlers and clear enough for snorkelling. It’s a top pick in our family guide to Jervis Bay. The sand is powder-white, the water grades from pale turquoise to deep blue, and there’s shade from trees at the back of the beach.

What gives Greenfield the edge for families is the grassy picnic area with barbecues, tables, and toilets right behind the beach. You can set up for a full day without needing to haul everything across sand dunes.

The rock platform at the northern end has excellent pools at low tide. Good chance of spotting octopus and anemones if you look carefully.

Crowds: Moderate. Popular with locals on weekends but rarely feels packed. Facilities: Toilets, picnic tables, electric barbecues, shade shelters. Parking: Sealed car park right at the beach. Fills on hot days but turnover is decent.

3. Hyams Beach

Best for: That bucket-list photo, clear water, the experience

Yes, it’s third. Hyams Beach is genuinely stunning — possibly the most photogenic beach in Australia. The sand is extraordinarily fine and white, the water is crystal clear, and on a calm day the colour gradient from shore to horizon is unreal.

So why third? Because the experience of visiting has been impacted by its own fame. On summer weekends and school holidays, traffic backs up along Hyams Beach Road. The small car park fills before 9am. The beach itself still has room — it’s the access that’s the bottleneck.

My tip: visit midweek, arrive early, or come in autumn/winter when you might have the whole beach to yourself. Off-peak Hyams Beach is a 10 out of 10, no question.

Alternatively, park in Vincentia and walk or cycle along the shared path. It’s flat, takes about 20 minutes, and you skip the parking chaos entirely.

Crowds: Very busy in summer and holidays. Quieter midweek and off-season. Facilities: Toilets, a small general store/cafe in the village. Parking: Small car park, overflow areas. Traffic management in peak periods. Consider walking from Vincentia.

4. Blenheim Beach

Best for: Snorkelling, couples, a quieter alternative to Hyams

Blenheim Beach is right next door to Hyams — literally a short walk north along the sand or through the bush track. But because it doesn’t have the famous name, most day-trippers don’t bother walking that far.

Their loss. Blenheim has the same white sand and clear water, plus better snorkelling thanks to the rocky reef at the northern end. The beach is slightly more sheltered, often calmer, and on busy days when Hyams is packed, Blenheim will have half the people.

There’s a lovely grassy area behind the beach with shady trees — perfect for a picnic. It feels more intimate than Hyams, with a gentle curve of sand and bush pressing in on both sides.

Crowds: Light to moderate. Benefits from Hyams absorbing most visitors. Facilities: Limited. Bring your own supplies. Parking: A few spots off the road, but most people walk from Hyams Beach car park or Vincentia.

5. Cave Beach

Best for: Surfing, solitude, wild coastline

Cave Beach faces the open ocean, not the sheltered bay, so it’s a completely different vibe. This is a proper surf beach — waves roll in from the Tasman Sea, the sand is coarser, and there’s an energy here that the calm bay beaches don’t have.

Located inside Booderee National Park near the camping ground, Cave Beach is backed by dense bush and feels properly remote. See our Booderee National Park guide for visitor information including entry fees and facilities. At the southern end, sea caves cut into the headland — worth exploring at low tide.

Swimming here requires more confidence than the bay beaches. There’s no shark net and the surf can be unpredictable. But for experienced swimmers and surfers, it’s brilliant. And on a calm day, the beach is safe and spectacular.

Crowds: Usually quiet, even in summer. The national park entry fee and the distance from main towns keep numbers down. Facilities: Toilets at the camping ground nearby. Nothing at the beach itself. Parking: Sealed car park with a short walk to the beach.

6. Chinamans Beach

Best for: Snorkelling, solitude, experienced adventurers

Chinamans Beach is a small, hidden cove inside Booderee National Park that requires a 1.5km walk through the bush to reach. There are no facilities, no signage worth mentioning, and on many days you’ll be the only person there.

The snorkelling is exceptional — rocky reef on both sides with blue groper, wobbegong sharks (harmless), and walls of schooling fish. The beach itself is a tiny crescent of white sand with crystal water.

The remoteness is the appeal. Bring everything you need, take everything back out, and enjoy having a private beach for the afternoon. The walk in follows a trail through coastal heath and paperbark forest — beautiful in its own right.

Crowds: Minimal. You’ll often have it to yourself. Facilities: None. No toilets, no bins, no water. Parking: Park at the Steamers Beach car park and walk.

7. Hole in the Wall

Best for: Rock formations, photography, something different

Hole in the Wall is more of a geological curiosity than a traditional beach, but it’s one of the most photographed spots in Jervis Bay. Coastal erosion has carved a natural archway through the rock headland, framing the ocean behind it.

The small beach below the formation is pebbly rather than sandy, and the access track is steep in places. But the payoff is that remarkable rock arch and the wild ocean views through it. Come at sunrise or sunset for the best photography conditions.

It’s inside Booderee National Park, about a 2km walk from the car park. The trail passes through beautiful coastal scrub and offers cliff-top views along the way. This is one of several great walking trails around Jervis Bay.

Crowds: Light. The walk deters casual visitors. Facilities: None at the beach. Toilets at the car park. Parking: Small car park on the access road.

8. Scottish Rocks

Best for: Rock pools, fishing, escaping the tourist trail

Scottish Rocks is on the southern shore of the bay, technically within Booderee but often overlooked in favour of the more famous beaches. It’s more a series of rock platforms and small sandy pockets than a traditional beach.

What it lacks in postcard appeal, it makes up for in rock pool exploring. Low tide reveals pools full of sea urchins, anemones, crabs, and small fish. Kids love it — there’s always something to find.

The fishing from the rocks is decent too. Bream, whiting, and flathead are common catches. Just check the marine park zoning — some areas are sanctuary zones where fishing isn’t permitted. See our fishing guide for spots, species, and regulations.

Crowds: Barely any. This is a local’s spot. Facilities: Very limited. Parking: Informal pull-off areas. You’ll need to do a bit of research to find the access point.

9. Collingwood Beach

Best for: Morning walks, families with young kids, convenience

Collingwood Beach stretches along the Vincentia foreshore for about 2 kilometres. It’s not as dramatic as some others on this list — no headlands framing the view, no rocky reefs for snorkelling — but it’s a genuinely lovely, safe, accessible beach right on the doorstep of Vincentia’s shops and amenities.

The water is shallow and calm, making it perfect for small children. The shared path behind the beach is great for walking, running, or cycling. And watching the sunset from here, with the bay turning gold and pink, is hard to beat.

This is the beach you visit every day when you’re staying in Vincentia. It doesn’t need to be spectacular — it just needs to be there, reliable and beautiful.

Crowds: Spread out along its length. Never feels crowded. Facilities: Multiple access points, toilets, picnic areas. Shops and cafes a short walk away in Vincentia village. Parking: Plenty of street parking along the foreshore.

10. Callala Beach

Best for: Long walks, off-the-radar relaxation

On the northern shore of the bay, Callala Beach is a long stretch of sand that curves gently for over a kilometre. It’s a residential area, so the beach has a neighbourhood feel — you’ll see locals walking dogs and kids playing after school.

The water is calm and shallow, the sand is that familiar Jervis Bay white, and the views across the bay to the southern headlands are superb. It’s the kind of beach where you can walk for 30 minutes and barely see another person.

There’s nothing flashy about Callala Beach. That’s the point.

Crowds: Very quiet. Mostly locals. Facilities: Small park behind the beach with a playground. Limited other facilities. Parking: Street parking near the surf club.

Final Thoughts

Jervis Bay has more beaches than you can visit in a single trip. My advice: don’t try to tick them all off. Pick two or three that match what you’re after — snorkelling, solitude, family-friendly facilities — and spend real time there.

And if Hyams Beach is too busy when you arrive? Walk five minutes north to Blenheim. Drive ten minutes to Greenfield. Pay the park entry and find Murrays Beach. Jervis Bay always has a quiet beach waiting for you. You just need to be willing to walk a little further.