Sawtell by the beach

Sawtell turns your attention to the coast: Sawtell Beach combines surfing, swimming and fishing with Bonville Headland, where you can look out over the beach and the mouth of Bonville Creek. This brings different aspects of a stay by the water into focus – active time at the beach, a picnic in the green spaces or views of the coastal landscape.

Beach, headland and bay

Bonville Headland lies at the southern end of Sawtell Beach. It has a paved walking path and grassy areas for picnics. It also offers wide views of the mouth of Bonville Creek and Sawtell Beach. If you don’t want your stay to focus solely on activities in the water, you can plan a walk along the paved path or a picnic break at the headland. The view takes in two clearly identified landscape features: the beach and the creek mouth.

Sawtell Beach is a popular spot for surfing, swimming and fishing, and is home to the Sawtell Surf Club. The Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool is also accessible from Bonville Headland. Sailors Bay lies at the southern end of the beach. A small island shelters the bay and can be reached at low tide. This stretch of coast therefore has several distinct places to visit, from the beach to the headland and the bay.

Sawtell Beach is patrolled daily between the NSW school holidays in September and the end of the NSW school holidays in April the following year. If beach patrols are a consideration when planning your trip, factor in this period, which is tied to the school holidays, when choosing your travel dates.

Festival and culinary experiences

Sawtell WinterSun is a nine-day coastal festival in the heart of Sawtell. Its program includes a surfing competition. The festival therefore reflects its coastal character through a specific sporting event. For visitors interested in events, WinterSun is another feature to consider alongside beach activities.

The WinterSun Food Bowl offers curated culinary experiences, pop-up offerings and local flavours. The focus here is on discovering food and local flavours. Together with beach activities, this offers another perspective on Sawtell: a stay can be about more than water and coastal scenery; it can also include culinary experiences. These offerings are a reason in their own right to discover Sawtell as a destination from another perspective.

Another highlight nearby

Sawtell Golf Club is an 18-hole golf course located 500 metres from the village of Sawtell. For travellers interested in golf, it’s another specific way to spend time during your stay. The distance given is from the village of Sawtell. This means you can consider the golf course as a separate option if you’d like to include golf alongside the coastal attractions.

More destinations

Gundaroo, Hyams Beach, Deauville, Milperra, Mount Panorama, Gerringong, Gunnedah, Bargo.

For the main travel overview: New South Wales.