Where to stay in South West Rocks
A bigger, livelier cousin to the quiet villages nearby, with a calm town beach, a historic gaol on the headland, turquoise bays and some of the best diving in the country. Here's where to stay in South West Rocks, and what to do when you arrive.
- Weather
- ·· Loading current conditions
- Best time to visit
- September to May for swimming and diving. June to November for whales and quieter days. Summer, Easter and the school holidays are the busy season, so book well ahead.
- Getting there
- About a 5 hour drive north of Sydney. Leave the M1 or Pacific Highway at Kempsey, then 30 minutes east. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, about an hour south.
- Location
- Mid North Coast, NSW · View on map
Why go
- Horseshoe Bay, a protected swimming beach right in the middle of town
- Historic Trial Bay Gaol on the headland at Arakoon, with kangaroos on the grass
- Little Bay's sheltered turquoise water, good for a swim or a snorkel
- Smoky Cape Lighthouse and some of the best whale watching on the coast
- World-class diving at Fish Rock, with its ocean cave and grey nurse sharks
- Calm Back Creek and the Macleay River for kayaking, fishing and oysters
The top 7 places to stay in South West Rocks
South West Rocks has the most choice on this stretch of coast: motels and apartments around Horseshoe Bay, holiday parks on the creek and the beach, beach houses, and quieter places out at Arakoon near the gaol. Here are our picks, and the search further down compares everything else with live prices.
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- Our pick
Salt @ South West Rocks
Best forcouples, and anyone after the flashest place in town
Sixteen self-contained villas in a quiet gated complex on the river side of town, with two heated mineral pools and the Macleay out front. It is the highest-rated place in South West Rocks by a clear margin, and the closest thing the town has to luxury. You will want the car for Horseshoe Bay and the shops, a few minutes away, but the space and the quiet are the point. There are only sixteen villas, so book early.
- Heated mineral pools
- Full kitchens
- River views
NRMA South West Rocks Holiday Resort
Best forfamilies with kids to wear out
The big family park on the edge of town: a water park with slides and a tipping bucket, jumping pillows, mini golf, tennis and a kids club, plus cabins from simple units to new family villas. It is a short drive to the beach and the shops rather than a walk, which is the main knock. Everything else is set up so the kids barely want to leave the park. School holidays book out months ahead.
- Water park
- Kids club
- Mini golf
Rockpool Motor Inn
Best foran easy, reliable base for a night or three
A well-run motor inn on the way into town with a pool and a Chinese restaurant on site. Rooms are simple, clean and quiet, and it is the most-reviewed motel in town, rated well across hundreds of stays. Horseshoe Bay and the shops are a longer stroll or a two-minute drive. The safe pick when you just want the night sorted.
- Pool
- On-site restaurant
Seabreeze Beach Hotel
Best forcheap beds right on the beach
The classic beach pub, directly across the road from Horseshoe Bay, with the bistro and beer garden downstairs. The rooms upstairs have been renovated and are the cheapest proper rooms in town, some with sea-view balconies. You are sleeping above a working pub, so expect some noise on a Friday or Saturday night. In exchange, dinner and the beach are both a one-minute walk.
- Opposite Horseshoe Bay
- Bistro downstairs
Ingenia Holidays South West Rocks
Best fortravellers with dogs, boats or both
A creekside park about a kilometre from the shops, with pet friendly sites, cabins up to three bedrooms and a pool with a waterslide. The boat ramp and the dog friendly stretch of Back Creek are right there, and guests consistently single out the staff. Light sleepers should know the ramp gets going early in the morning, and take repellent for creekside evenings in summer.
- Waterslide pool
- On Back Creek
- Near the boat ramp
Smoky Cape Retreat
Best foradults after peace and quiet
An adults-only retreat in the bush at Arakoon, midway between Trial Bay Gaol and Smoky Cape Lighthouse and about five minutes' drive from town. There is a saltwater pool, a tennis court and spa suites, and the long-time owner-hosts collect glowing reviews year after year. No facilities for kids, which is the point, and dogs can sometimes be arranged. Made for a book by the pool and kangaroos at dusk.
- Adults only
- Saltwater pool
- At Arakoon
Holiday houses via Raine & Horne
Best forgroups, big families and week-long stays
For a group or a full week, a house beats a room, and most of the local houses, units and apartments are let through the agents rather than the booking sites. Raine & Horne runs the largest local range, from waterfront apartments to big beach houses across South West Rocks, Arakoon and Hat Head, with online booking. Book months ahead for summer and Easter; the best ones go to repeat guests first.
- Book direct
- Largest local range
How we choose: guest ratings across booking sites, plus our own time in South West Rocks. We visit every town we cover, and no place on this list has paid to be here.
South West Rocks sits at the mouth of the Macleay River, where the Mid North Coast opens out into a run of blue bays and long beaches. It is bigger and busier than the villages to the south, with a proper town centre, but it has kept the easy, salt-and-sunscreen feel of a classic Australian beach holiday. The headland at Arakoon, the old gaol, the calm water of Horseshoe Bay and some of the best diving in the country are all a few minutes apart.
Why stay in South West Rocks
There is more going on here than in the smaller towns nearby, which makes it a good base if you want beaches with a bit of life around them: cafes, a bakery, pubs and a country club, plus a real swimming beach in the middle of town. Families come back year after year, so it gets busy over summer and the school holidays and you will want to book ahead. Out of peak season it is calm and uncrowded, and the water is often at its clearest.
Horseshoe Bay and the beaches
Horseshoe Bay is the town’s drawcard: a small, protected, horseshoe-shaped beach tucked behind the breakwall, right in the centre of town. The headland and the wall keep it calm, so it is one of the safest spots on the coast for a swim with young kids. For surf and space, Main Beach (also called Front Beach) runs east along Trial Bay for kilometres, from the edge of town out toward Arakoon and the gaol. Gap Beach, south near Smoky Cape, is wilder and quieter again.
Trial Bay Gaol and Little Bay
On the headland at Arakoon, a few minutes east of town, the sandstone ruins of Trial Bay Gaol stand above the water. Built in the 1880s and later used as a wartime internment camp, it is now a museum inside Arakoon National Park. The grounds are some of the best in the region for a picnic, with eastern grey kangaroos grazing on the grass at dusk. Just below, Little Bay is a sheltered pocket of turquoise water that is lovely for a swim or a snorkel. Campers can stay right below the gaol walls at the NPWS Trial Bay Gaol campground, beside the beach with the kangaroos for neighbours. No pets, and it books out, so plan ahead.
Smoky Cape and whale watching
South-east of town, Smoky Cape Lighthouse stands on a high headland in Hat Head National Park. The drive up is worth it for the view alone, and from late autumn into spring it is one of the best places on the coast to watch humpback whales pass close to shore. For a stay to remember, the 1891 keepers’ cottages beside the lighthouse take bookings direct, with minimum stays of a few nights and a front-row seat for the whales.
On the water
South West Rocks is a fishing and boating town at heart. The Macleay River and the calm Back Creek are made for kayaking, throwing in a line and pulling up a feed. Offshore, Fish Rock is a famous dive: a rocky island off Smoky Cape with an ocean cave running through it, where you can dive with grey nurse sharks, which draws divers from all over the world.
Things to do
- Swim the calm water at Horseshoe Bay
- Explore the ruins and grounds of Trial Bay Gaol
- Watch for kangaroos on the grass at Arakoon at dusk
- Snorkel the sheltered turquoise of Little Bay
- Drive up to Smoky Cape Lighthouse for the view and the whales
- Kayak or fish the Macleay River and Back Creek
- Dive Fish Rock with the grey nurse sharks
- Walk the coastal boardwalk and the headland tracks
Food and coffee
South West Rocks is a bigger town, so there is plenty of choice for a meal or a coffee. Shoeys Bakery is the local pick for great coffee and pies, and Sixty Degrees is a much-loved local cafe. Add the pubs and the country club, and you will not go hungry.
Getting there
South West Rocks is about a five hour drive north of Sydney (around 450 km). Leave the Pacific Highway or M1 at Kempsey, then it is a 30 minute drive east to the coast. The nearest airport is Port Macquarie, about an hour south, with Coffs Harbour roughly 90 minutes north. The closest train station is Kempsey on the regional XPT line.
Good to know
South West Rocks has more services than the smaller towns nearby, including a supermarket, bakery, cafes, pubs and a country club, so you can stock up in town. It is a popular family spot, so summer and the school holidays are busy and accommodation books out early. The rest of the year is quieter.
Local tip: time a visit to Trial Bay Gaol for late afternoon, when the light is good and the kangaroos come out on the grass.
Walks and hikes near South West Rocks
Coast, headland and rainforest tracks worth the boots, each with directions to the trailhead.
Trial Bay Gaol and Little Bay
An easy walk around the headland below the old Trial Bay Gaol in Arakoon National Park. The track leads through low forest to Little Bay, a sheltered pocket of turquoise water that is one of the best swims and snorkels around. Eastern grey kangaroos graze the gaol lawns at dusk.
Getting to the startPark at Trial Bay Gaol at Arakoon, about 5 minutes east of South West Rocks. The track to Little Bay leads off from near the gaol. View on map
Monument Hill loop
A gravel track that climbs to the war memorial on the hill behind town, with wide views over the Macleay River mouth, Trial Bay and the breakwall. A few short steep pinches, but nothing hard, and a good one at sunset.
Getting to the startStart at the Monument Hill car park, signposted on the southern side of town, a couple of minutes from the centre. View on map
Smoky Cape Lighthouse and North Smoky Beach
The lighthouse stands high on Smoky Cape with some of the best views on the coast, north over Hat Head National Park and south across Trial Bay. The Jack Perkins track drops down to the empty sand of North Smoky Beach, and strong walkers can carry on along the coast towards the gaol.
Getting to the startDrive about 15 minutes south-east of town to the Smoky Cape Lighthouse car park, off Lighthouse Road. The track starts by the lighthouse. View on map
Surf, tides and wind in South West Rocks
Live wave, tide and wind conditions for the open coast, updated through the day.
Tap an arrow for the time, speed and direction.
- Swell
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- Period
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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 South West Rocks 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.
