On the southern side of the Swansea Heads rocks is 1.5 km long Hams Beach (NSW 254). It extends southeast from the rocks to reef a sandy point formed in lee of an inshore reef called Frenchman Rock, which also forms the northern boundary of adjacent Caves Beach (Fig. 4.148). This beach was backed by degraded dunes until the 1980s when Lake Macquarie Council undertook a major landscaping and dune stabilisation program, so that now besides the revegetated dune area, good parking and access is provided towards the southern end in front of the caravan park. The beach is exposed to waves averaging 1.6 m, which maintain a single bar usually cut by three to four rips form with a permanent rip against Frenchmans Rock.
Beach Length: 1.5km
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.