Where to stay in Crescent Head
The Mid North Coast's surf town: a National Surfing Reserve with a long, famous point break, a calm creek for the kids, and a livelier, younger scene than its quiet neighbours. Here's where to stay in Crescent Head, and what to do when you get there.
- Weather
- ·· Loading current conditions
- Best time to visit
- Spring to autumn for the beaches and the creek. The point surfs best on a southerly swell and gets busy on weekends. Summer, Easter and long weekends are the peak, when the town is at its busiest.
- Getting there
- About a 4.5 hour drive north of Sydney. Leave the M1 or Pacific Highway at Kempsey, then 20 minutes east to the coast. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, around 45 minutes south.
- Location
- Mid North Coast, NSW · View on map
Why go
- A National Surfing Reserve and one of the great longboard point breaks in the country
- Killick Creek, a calm creek mouth that is safe and clear for a swim
- The headland and golf course, with big ocean views and kangaroos on the grass
- Long beaches to the north and the wild Goolawah beaches to the south
- The liveliest of the local towns, with cafes, a bakery and a younger crowd
- Whale watching from the headland in winter and spring
The top 7 places to stay in Crescent Head
Crescent Head has beachfront apartments and houses near the point, the holiday park on Killick Creek, and simpler digs for surfers. As the busiest town around here, it books out fast over summer, Easter and good swells, so reserve early. Here are our picks, and the search further down compares everything else with live prices.
Transparency: some links below are affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.
- Our pick
Sea Sea Hotel
Best forcouples, and surfers who like a nice pool
Crescent Head's only proper hotel: 25 rooms styled on 70s surf culture, a mineral water pool, and a bar and restaurant that have quickly become the place to be, with a board hire fleet on hand. It opened under new owners in 2024, so the review history is short, but the design and the atmosphere are the real thing. A short walk along the front to the point, and about five minutes to Killick Beach.
- Mineral pool
- Bar and restaurant
- Board hire
The Med Crescent Head
Best foran easy base in the middle of the village
A renovated motel with Mediterranean styling on the main street, cafes at the door and Killick Beach a ten minute walk away. There is a saltwater pool, a Mexican restaurant on site and free bikes to get around on. Noise can travel between rooms and some run smaller than the photos suggest, so ask when you book. A separate pet friendly cottage takes the dog.
- Saltwater pool
- Mexican restaurant
- Free bikes
Crescent Head Holiday Park
Best forfamilies, and surfers who want the point at their door
The location king: wedged between Killick Creek, the beach and the surf club at the end of the main street, with the point a few minutes' walk around the foreshore. Kids paddle in the creek while the longboarders file past. Cabins, villas, safari tents and sites; the amenities are showing their age and school holidays are packed, but nothing else in town puts you closer to the water.
- Between the creek and the point
- Cabins and safari tents
- Next to the surf club
Waves Campground
Best forsurf campers chasing the southern breaks
A private bush campground at Delicate Nobby, ten minutes south down Point Plomer Road, with the beach 50 metres from the gate and uncrowded breaks out front. Hot showers, fire pits, a camp kitchen, surf hire and a cafe doing proper coffee take the edge off camping, and there is a bunkhouse if the tent is not your thing. No dogs. Book direct; it is not on the booking sites.
- 50 m to the beach
- Hot showers
- On-site cafe
Big Hill Beach Cottages
Best forgroups and family surf trips
Six identical three bedroom cottages on a big spread of lawn directly across the road from Big Hill beach, about ten minutes south of the village. Full kitchens, fire pits and updated bathrooms, with quiet waves out the front and Racecourse and Delicate Nobby up the road. Book direct; they are not on the booking sites, and repeat guests snap up the good weeks.
- Three bedrooms each
- Across from the beach
- Fire pits
Alice & Elvis
Best forcouples after something different
Two lovingly renovated 1983 Millard caravans on a quiet bush block a couple of minutes' drive south of the village on Point Plomer Road, each with a deck, a proper ensuite and an outdoor bath under the trees. It is glamping with real beds and real plumbing, and guests rate it highly. Not for kids or big groups; made for a couple of slow days with a book and a bottle of wine.
- Outdoor bath
- Bush setting
- Ensuites
Holiday houses via Crescent Head Holiday Rentals
Best forbigger groups and week-long stays
Most of the village's houses are let through the local agents, and this book runs to about 40 of them, from one bedroom flats to a house that sleeps twelve, with pet friendly options in the mix. For a group or a week by the point a house wins easily. Summer and the Malibu Classic weekend go to repeat guests first, so get in months ahead.
- Book direct
- Pet friendly options
How we choose: guest ratings across booking sites, plus our own time in Crescent Head. We visit every town we cover, and no place on this list has paid to be here.
Crescent Head is the Mid North Coast’s surf town. Wrapped around the mouth of Killick Creek and the headland that gives it its name, it is best known for a long, peeling point break that helped shape Australian surfing. It is also the liveliest and most touristy of the towns in this guide, with a younger crowd, more cafes and a bit more buzz than its quiet neighbours to the north.
Why stay in Crescent Head
If you surf, or want to learn, this is the one. The point is a classic, mellow, long right-hander that suits longboards and beginners as much as old hands, which is part of why it gets so busy. Beyond the waves there is a calm creek for the kids, a headland with big views, and enough cafes and life to keep everyone happy. It is busier and more polished than Hat Head or South West Rocks, so expect crowds on weekends and through the holidays, and book your stay early.
The surf
Crescent Head is a National Surfing Reserve, and the point is the reason. On the right swell it throws a long, even wall that can carry you a long way toward the creek, and it has been a favourite of longboarders for generations. It is welcoming for beginners on a small day, but it gets crowded, so mind your manners in the lineup. There are surf schools and board hire in town if you want to give it a go. For quieter waves, head south down Point Plomer Road to Racecourse, Delicate Nobby, Big Hill and Point Plomer, where the NPWS campgrounds put you right behind the breaks. Delicate is one of the few beach camps on this coast that takes dogs.
Killick Creek and the beaches
Right by the town, Killick Creek opens to the sea in a calm, clear lagoon with a footbridge across it. Near high tide it is a safe, shallow swim, which makes it a hit with families. The long beach runs north for kilometres, and to the south the wilder Goolawah and Racecourse beaches are popular with campers and surfers chasing a quieter break.
The headland and the golf course
The headland above the point is open grassland with some of the best views on the coast, and the Crescent Head Country Club golf course runs right along it. You do not have to play to enjoy it: kangaroos graze on the fairways, the lookouts take in the whole bay, and in winter and spring you can watch for whales passing offshore.
Things to do
- Surf or learn to surf at the famous point
- Swim the calm water of Killick Creek
- Walk the headland for the views and the kangaroos
- Play a round at the clifftop Country Club, or just take in the view
- Head south to the Goolawah beaches for a quieter surf or a camp
- Fish the creek, the beach or the rocks
- Watch for whales from the headland in winter and spring
- Grab a pie from Barnetts and eat it by the water
Food and coffee
As the busiest of the local towns, Crescent Head has the most choice for a meal or a coffee, with a good run of cafes around the village. Prices lean to the tourist end, so do not expect country-town bargains. The local favourite is Barnetts Bakery, which pulls a queue for its pies and pastries. The country club up on the headland is worth it for a meal with an ocean view.
Getting there
Crescent Head is about a four and a half hour drive north of Sydney. Leave the Pacific Highway or M1 at Kempsey, then it is a 20 minute drive east to the coast. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, around 45 minutes south. The back road south to Port Macquarie via Point Plomer is only part sealed, with a rough unsealed stretch and the Settlement Point ferry at the Port Macquarie end, so most people come and go through Kempsey.
Good to know
Crescent Head is busier and more expensive than the towns nearby, so book accommodation well ahead for summer, Easter and long weekends, and expect to pay a little more for it. There is a small supermarket and the usual shops, along with the bakery and cafes.
Local tip: the point is busiest mid-morning. Dawn is quieter, and the light on the headland is worth the early start.
Walks and hikes near Crescent Head
Coast, headland and rainforest tracks worth the boots, each with directions to the trailhead.
Crescent Head headland
A short grassy walk over the headland above the famous point break, with the Country Club fairways running along the top. Look back over Killick Creek and the long north beach, watch the longboarders work the point, and keep an eye out for kangaroos on the grass and whales offshore in winter and spring.
Getting to the startWalk up onto the headland from the point car park above the surf, by the Surf Life Saving Club. Park in the village and walk up. View on map
Killick Beach
A long, flat strip of sand running north from the creek mouth, often with barely a soul on it. Good for a barefoot walk, a swim and a fish, and you can turn back whenever you have had enough. Check the tide so you are walking on firm sand.
Getting to the startCross the footbridge over Killick Creek by the holiday park, or start from the beach car park at the north end of the village. View on map
Big Hill, Limeburners Creek National Park
South of town, Point Plomer Road runs through Goolawah and into Limeburners Creek National Park, with coastal heath, spring wildflowers and empty beaches. The short Big Hill rainforest loop and the longer Big Hill South track both open onto headland and ocean views.
Getting to the startHead south out of the village on Point Plomer Road towards Big Hill and Melaleuca campground. It is gravel and fine for a normal car in the dry, but it gets boggy after rain, so check conditions before you set out. View on map
Surf, tides and wind in Crescent Head
Live wave, tide and wind conditions for the open coast, updated through the day.
Tap an arrow for the time, speed and direction.
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Wave, tide and wind data from Open-Meteo. Tides are open-coast predictions and can differ inside creeks and river mouths.
The Crescent Head notice board
Ask a question or leave a tip for the next traveller. Notes are public, checked automatically before they go up, and cleared out now and then. Keep it kind and local.
