Jimmys Beach, Hawks Nest: the calm side of town
Updated: Oct 6
Written by the owners of Tilly and Annies Place and Seacrest 7, Hawks Nest. Last reviewed October 2026.
Hawks Nest has two beaches and they behave nothing alike. Bennetts faces the open ocean and gets the surf. Jimmys faces back into Port Stephens, and on most days it barely moves. If you are travelling with small children, or you just want calmer water, Jimmys Beach is the reason people come back.
At a glance
Length: about 5 km of sand, from the mouth of the Myall River around to Yacaaba Headland
Aspect: sheltered bay, facing south into Port Stephens, protected from the ocean swell
Water: shallow and usually flat, and not patrolled
Best for: small children, paddling, kayaks, stand up paddleboards, shore fishing
Not for: surf. For waves, walk over to Bennetts
From Tilly and Annies Place: a short walk, along with the shops
Where Jimmys Beach is
Jimmys Beach runs along the southern edge of Hawks Nest, on the Port Stephens side of town rather than the ocean side. It starts near the mouth of the Myall River at Winda Woppa and runs about five kilometres east to the foot of Yacaaba Headland (Reflections Holidays).
Because it faces into the bay rather than out to sea, it gets almost none of the swell that arrives at Bennetts Beach a few streets away. Walking between the two takes two or three minutes, which is the single best thing about staying in this part of town: you pick your conditions on the day rather than being stuck with them.
Why the water is so calm
Port Stephens is a drowned river valley, and the heads at Yacaaba and Tomaree narrow the entrance. Swell that would break hard on an open coast loses most of its energy before it reaches the inner shoreline. Jimmys Beach sits well inside that, so what arrives is usually a ripple.
It also means the water warms earlier in the season than the ocean side. In spring, when Bennetts still feels like a decision, Jimmys is often already fine.
Swimming with kids
The sand shelves gently, so there is a long stretch where a small child can stand. On most days there are no breaking waves and none of the rips you get on an open beach. Tidal currents do run near the Myall River mouth and towards the headland, so keep small children in the shallows and stay in the water with them. For a lot of families that is the whole holiday: an hour in the shallows in the morning, back for lunch, back again at four.
One honest caveat. Jimmys is a bay beach and is not patrolled the way an ocean beach is. Bennetts Beach is the patrolled one, through the summer season, with the red and yellow flags. If you want lifesavers on the sand, that is where to go.
The sand that comes back every year
If you read anything about Jimmys Beach you will run into the erosion story, so here it is plainly. The NSW Government lists Jimmys Beach as one of fifteen coastal erosion hotspots in the state. The bay pulls sand away from this stretch faster than nature puts it back.
So it gets put back by hand. MidCoast Council runs a sand renourishment program, dredging sand from the Myall River and placing it along the beach (MidCoast Council). In 2026 the program ran from 6 July to 14 August (Dredging Today). It is usually done outside the main holiday season for exactly the reason you would hope.
What this means for your stay: if you are here in winter you may see works, machinery or a closed section of access road. By summer the beach is sand again. If it matters to your trip, check the council news page before you book.
What you can see from the sand
Looking out, you get the length of Port Stephens and the Myall River mouth. Yacaaba Headland closes off the eastern end, and Tomaree sits across the water. On a still morning the whole thing reads as one flat sheet with two hills on it.
Birds are the other reason to look up. Sea eagles, ospreys, oystercatchers and cormorants all work this shoreline (Reflections Holidays). Pelicans are a constant. If the walking is what you are after, the Yacaaba Headland track starts from the Bennetts Beach end and is about seven kilometres return.
Fishing
Shore fishing along Jimmys is a normal part of a day here. Commonly caught are bream, flathead, tailor and whiting (Reflections Holidays). Kayak fishing works well in the sheltered water, and there are boat ramps at Hawks Nest and across the bridge at Tea Gardens.
Check current NSW size and bag limits before you keep anything. Rules change and we are not the people to take your word from on that.
Getting there and parking
Jimmys Beach Road runs along the back of the beach with parking at intervals, and there are several beach access tracks through the dune. Parking is free and, outside the Christmas and Easter peaks, usually easy.
From Sydney it is about two and a half hours north. You come through Tea Gardens and over the Singing Bridge into Hawks Nest, and the bay side of town is the first turn.
Jimmys Beach or Bennetts Beach?
Not a competition. They do different jobs, and in Hawks Nest you get both within a few minutes of each other.
Jimmys: calm, shallow, warms earlier, good for small kids, kayaks and paddleboards, fishing off the sand
Bennetts: open ocean, surf, long and wide, patrolled in season, the start of the Yacaaba walk
If you are deciding where to stay around that, Tilly and Annies Place is the short walk to Jimmys Beach and the shops, and Seacrest 7 has the Bennetts Beach track directly across the road. Compare the two houses here.
Frequently asked questions
Is Jimmys Beach good for swimming?
It is usually the calmer of the two and the one we use with young children. It sits in a sheltered bay with shallow, usually flat water. It is not a patrolled surf beach, so if you want lifesavers, use Bennetts Beach in season.
Where is Jimmys Beach?
At Hawks Nest, New South Wales, on the Port Stephens side of town. It runs roughly five kilometres from the Myall River mouth at Winda Woppa east to Yacaaba Headland. Hawks Nest is about two and a half hours north of Sydney.
Why does Jimmys Beach need sand added to it?
It is listed by the NSW Government as one of fifteen coastal erosion hotspots. MidCoast Council runs an annual renourishment program, dredging sand from the Myall River and placing it back on the beach. In 2026 that ran from 6 July to 14 August.
Can you fish at Jimmys Beach?
Yes, from the shore or from a kayak. Bream, flathead, tailor and whiting are the usual catch. Check current NSW size and bag limits first. Wear a lifejacket on the water and check the wind before you head out, because the bay gets choppy fast in a nor'easter.
Is Jimmys Beach or Bennetts Beach better?
Jimmys for calm water and small children. Bennetts for surf, for a long walk, and for a patrolled beach in summer. They are two or three minutes apart, so most people use both in the same day.
This is general information based on our own experience. Conditions change. Check Beachsafe, SharkSmart and NSW National Parks alerts before you go, and follow lifesavers' directions on the day.
Plan your stay
We own both houses in Hawks Nest and we answer the enquiries ourselves. If you want the bay beach at the end of the street, start with Tilly and Annies Place.
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