Stuarts Point refers to a bend in an old arm of the Macleay River where the small town of Stuarts Point is located. The beach itself runs in a slow arc from Grassy Head for 9 km down to the entrance wall at the New Entrance for the river. Before the walls were constructed the old entrance used to locate itself at various locations along the Stuart Point Beach, up as far as Grassy Head. The present beach (NSW 134) has therefore evolved since the training walls were built between 1896-1898. Today it is backed by low 200-300 m wide vegetated dunes, then the 100-300 m wide abandoned river channel, called the Macleay Arm.
The beach receives waves averaging 1.5 m which produce a double bar system in the north, dropping to a rip-dominated single bar in the south (Fig. 4.70) as wave height begins to drop in response to the protection afforded by Laggers Point (South West Rocks) with rips,spaced every 300-400 m, The beach has 4WD access from Grassy Head, and a footbridge across the Macleay Arm at Stuarts Point.
Beach Length: 9km
General Hazard Rating:
6/10
Patrols
There are currently no services provided by Surf Life Saving Australia for this beach. Please take the time to browse the Surf Safety section of this website to learn more about staying safe when swimming at Australian beaches.
Click here to visit general surf education information.
SLSA provides this information as a guide only. Surf conditions are variable and therefore this information should not be relied upon as a substitute for observation of local conditions and an understanding of your abilities in the surf. SLSA reminds you to always swim between the red and yellow flags and never swim at unpatrolled beaches. SLSA takes all care and responsibility for any translation but it cannot guarantee that all translations will be accurate.