Smiths Lake

Smiths Lake combines a distinctive lake landscape with a variety of ways to enjoy the water. The lake is at the heart of the town, while Sandbar Beach separates the Pacific Ocean from Smiths Lake. As the connection between the lake and ocean opens and closes from time to time, this changing transition is also part of the area’s distinctive character. When choosing your holiday rental, it’s worth first considering whether you’re mainly looking for time by the lake, water activities or a range of experiences with your family.

Lake, ocean and open shoreline

Most development around Smiths Lake is concentrated in the village on the lake’s northern side; by far the greater part of the shoreline remains undeveloped. Here, the developed area is focused on one side, while most of the shoreline remains undeveloped. Smiths Lake is also part of the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park. If water and nature are central to your holiday plans, this is a suitable base for discovering the distinctive features of the lake and its surroundings.

Sandbar Beach, also known as Cellito Beach, separates the Pacific Ocean from the lake; it is also a spot for challenging surfing. This offers a different focus from activities on the lake itself: you can shape your stay around the experience you’re looking for, without treating the beach and lake as one and the same. The intermittent opening and closing of the connection between the two bodies of water is an important part of the landscape.

Water sports and days by the lake

Smiths Lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing, paddling and swimming. Children can wade in the eastern basin, which is also suitable for swimming and for beginners learning to water-ski. The basin is also used by sailors, windsurfers and kitesurfers. This brings together a range of activities: exploring the water at a gentler pace, swimming and more active pursuits. If you’re travelling with children, the specifically mentioned opportunity to wade is a useful guide. Beginners learning to water-ski also have a designated area, while the eastern basin is of interest for sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

The range of options on the lake also leaves room for different kinds of holiday days. Boating and fishing appeal to different interests than paddling or swimming, but all are ideas for enjoying a stay by the same lake.

Family outings and recreation in town

John De Bert Reserve on the shore of Smiths Lake Village is a popular spot for day trips among families and locals. It has public toilets, a children’s playground and picnic tables. These facilities make the reserve a practical destination for an outing with children or a shared break. The site is also historically significant: the boat ramp at John De Bert Reserve was the important starting point around which the village of Smiths Lake developed.

Another public boat ramp is located at Brambles Reserve on Smiths Lake. If you’re interested in recreation on the water, you can make a note of this spot as a separate point of interest alongside John De Bert Reserve. For a different kind of activity, Smiths Lake Skatepark is in the Smiths Lake Recreation Area and Skate Park, at the corner of Macwood Road and Paradise Road. The lake, reserves and skatepark therefore offer different ways to spend your holiday, without needing to be combined into a single walking route.

Development is concentrated mainly in the village on the northern side; most of the lake’s shoreline remains undeveloped. These differences in the character of the town and shoreline can help you choose the kind of setting you’d like for your stay.

Discover more destinations

If you’d like to explore more places, you’ll find La Perouse, Table Top, Mittagong, Mannering Park, Booroorban, Nelligen, Woollamia and Oberon.

For the broader travel overview: New South Wales.