Forresters Beach, Central Coast: Is it better for surfing or swimming?

Forresters Beach on the New South Wales Central Coast is unpatrolled, but has tremendous reef breaks for surfers. The best views come from the Wyrrabalong Lookout in the Wyrrabalong National Park.

The Central Coast of New South Wales is a loosely-linked collection of towns and suburbs going under the same umbrella. These Central Coast towns and suburbs often have very different vibes to them. Terrigal feels very different to Patonga Beach, Gosford feels very different to Pearl Beach, Toowoon Bay or Wamberal Beach. And so on.

Forresters Beach is on the quieter end of the scale. Sandwiched between Terrigal and Bateau Bay, the beach itself is quiet. This is largely because all the cafés and restaurants huddle around the Central Coast Highway rather than the beach.

Sunrise at Forresters Beach on the Central Coast. Photo courtesy of Central Coast Tourism.

Surfing at Forresters Beach, NSW

Forresters Beach is about 1.5km long, facing south-east. This means it gets the big south-easterly swells so beloved of surfers. That said, the breaks at the beach are usually pretty small, as the rocks and reefs just offshore offer protection.

Forresters Beach is not patrolled by lifeguards, however, so it really is a case of swimming at your own risk. Conditions aren’t particularly dangerous, however.

Surfers, on the other hand, should have a marvellous time. The reef breaks at Forresters Beach are some of the most impressive in Australia. The main central reef is about 600 metres offshore.

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Wyrrabalong National Park lookouts

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Forresters Beach is that the northern end is backed by the southern section of the Wyrrabalong National Park. Walk up Cromarty Hill Road and you can survey the beach from the Wyrrabalong Lookout.

If you wish to, you can continue along the Wyrrabalong Coastal Walk, which winds through this Central Coast national park from here. The Bouddi Coastal Walk to Macmasters Beach further south is a more impressive coastal walk, though.