Kendalls Beach, Kiama: Swimming, surfing & holiday parks

The small, sheltered Kendalls Beach in Kiama is generally safe for swimming and suited to families. Accommodation is available at the Kendalls on the Beach Holiday Park or Surf Beach Holiday Park.

Kendalls Beach in Kiama, New South Wales, goes against the grain of the beaches on the Illawarra coastline. Most of the Illawarra are big, stretching efforts, pounded by the surf. Kendalls Beach, however, is a relatively dainty little thing.

Framed by the headlands of Kendalls Point and Keleula Head, Kendalls Beach in Kiama is just under 400 metres long. It faces north-east, avoiding the prevailing swell.

Kendalls Beach in Kiama, NSW. Photo courtesy of Mark Fitzpatrick; Destination NSW.

Swimming and surfing at Kendalls Beach

This makes Kendalls Beach an extremely popular beach with families. Children can generally swim here a lot more safely than at Surf Beach, the better known Kiama beach to the north.

Surfers, on the other hand, are not going to get much joy. They’re better off at Surf Beach, or at Werri Beach in Gerringong to the south.

Kendalls Beach Reserve and Chapman Point Reserve

Another advantage of Kendalls Beach is that the kids have plenty of space to run around. The Kendalls Beach Reserve at the southern end has picnic tables and public barbecues, while the Chapman Point Reserve in the north is more of a sports field.

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Kendalls on the Beach Holiday Park

It’s also possible to go camping at Kendalls Beach. There are several holiday homes here, but the main accommodation is the Kendalls on the Beach Holiday Park.

This Kiama caravan park offers both powered and unpowered site – some suitable for tents, others for campervans and motorhomes. That said, Kendalls on the Beach puts an emphasis on its cabins, which tend to be a more comfortable stay for families.

For an alternative, the Surf Beach Holiday Park is effectively at the northern end of Kendalls Beach.

Other things to do in Kiama include seeing the famous Kiama Blowhole and Bombo Headland, plus swimming in the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool.

Other southern Illawarra beaches covered in the Australian Beach Guide include Killalea Beach, Bushrangers Bay and Seven Mile Beach.

A little further north, you can check out five of the best beaches in Wollongong. These are North Wollongong Beach, Austinmer Beach, Windang Beach, Corrimal Beach and Stanwell Park Beach.