Pinnacles Beach is one of the loveliest beaches in the Beowa National Park (formerly Ben Boyd National Park) in New South Wales. Of course, the beach is well-known because of The Pinnacles – an extraordinary coastal landform, which is located on the beach. Interestingly though, you don’t need to step foot on Pinnacles Beach to see The Pinnacles. You can simply do the Pinnacles Loop Walking Track, which leads to lookouts overlooking The Pinnacles.
So, many people simply do the Pinnacles Loop Walking Track without even setting foot on Pinnacles Beach. Personally, Beck and I think this is a shame as Pinnacles Beach is a beautiful secluded beach that’s worth visiting in its own right. Additionally, by accessing the beach at low tide, it’s also possible to get to the base of The Pinnacles!
To that end, we highly recommend that you also visit Pinnancles Beach as part of your adventure exploring The Pinnacles. In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about visiting Pinnacles Beach.
Table of Contents
About Pinnacles Beach
Pinnacles Beach (AKA Long Beach) is a roughly 3km long white sand beach along the Sapphire Coast in the Far South Coast region of NSW. The beach is located between Quoraburagun Point to the north and Terrace Point to the south.
Most of the beach is backed by 20–30 metre high orange-reddish and white cliff walls (bluffs). The most well-known section of these cliff walls is The Pinnacles, which is about 500 metres south of Quoraburagun Point. The underlying geology of The Pinnacles is quite remarkable. It’s thought that The Pinnacles formed around 65 million years ago during the Tertiary geological period. The spectacular erosion feature has a soft white sand base capped with a thick layer of red gravel clay.
To enjoy the best view of The Pinnacles, you certainly want to do the Pinnacles Loop Walking Track AKA the Pinnacles Walking Track. From the Pinnacles Lookout, the views of the landmark are unparalleled. But, if you want to get up, close and personal with The Pinnacles, and explore even more it, you can reach its base by accessing Pinnacles Beach.
Of course, there are plenty of other great things to do on Pinnacles Beach. It’s a particularly good beach for fishing. While, it’s a quiet and secluded beach, so you can pop a towel down, sit, relax and sunbathe in peace. It’s also a great beach for exploring and walking along.
Unfortunately, the beach isn’t patrolled and is prone to rips. So, we can’t recommend swimming there; although, you may see some surfers out and about.
FYI – keep in mind, dogs aren’t allowed on the beach as it’s located in a NSW National Park.
Where Is Pinnacles Beach?
Pinnacles Beach is located in the Beowa National Park in NSW, Australia. The beach is found between the coastal towns of Merimbula and Eden.
To help get your bearings, please click on the image below to access an interactive map of the location.
How to Get to Pinnacles Beach (Directions)
To set foot on the glorious white sand of Pinnacles Beach, you’ll need to walk there! Below, we’ll look at the details of the lovely short walk required to access the beach.
Map: AllTrails
Pinnacles Beach Access and Lookout Walk
- Type: Out & Back
- Distance: 1km
- Time: 20 minutes
- Accumulated elevation gain: 50m
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trailhead: Pinnacles Road Access Car Park
From the Pinnacles Access Road Car Park, you’ll see signs directing you to Pinnacles Beach. Initially, you’ll follow a flat boardwalk through coastal shrub. You’ll then reach steps that lead down to the beach access point and a lookout.
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Pinnacles Beach Access and Lookout
Soon enough, you’ll reach the Pinnacles Beach Lookout. From the lookout, you’ll enjoy exceptional views of the southern end of the beach towards Terrace Point. Essentially, the lookout is officially the end of the Pinnacles Beach Access and Lookout Walk. Indeed, many people simply follow this trail to reach the lookout and then retrace their steps to complete the walk. But, of course, we’re sure you haven’t come this far to not step foot on the beach!
To walk onto the beach, you’ll continue to follow a well-defined trail, in a northerly direction, another 200 metres from the lookout. Eventually, you’ll reach the magnificent beach.
Pinnacles Beach
The Pinnacles Beach is truly a spectacular white sand beach. Personally, we walked along the beach, soaking up its beauty, all the way to Quoraburagun Point and back. We would have happily stayed for longer, but we did have a busy day planned exploring Beowa National Park. Otherwise, we would have thoroughly enjoyed spending a morning here.
I must say, it’s always a pleasure travelling to beaches in Australia with Beck. Having grown up in Australia, I can often take these gorgeous beaches for granted. But, Beck is always genuinely blown away by them and buzzing when we visit. It’s always a gentle reminder to raise the gratitude attitude!
Accessing the Base of The Pinnacles
As mentioned, it’s possible to access the base of The Pinnacles from the beach. To do so, after arriving on the beach, you’ll turn right, passing a prominent bluff. You’ll then continue another 500 metres along the beach before arriving at the base of The Pinnacles.
Bear in mind, it’s only possible to do this at low tide and it’s much safer with a low swell. Unfortunately, when we visited, it was high tide. So, we couldn’t access the base of The Pinnacles. Outside of low tide, the main problem is not being able to walk around the bend of the prominent bluff near the beach access point. This meant we had to settle with the views enjoyed from the lookouts along the Pinnacles Loop Walking Track.
If you’re in the same position as us and can’t access the base, you’ll be happy to know that the best views of The Pinnacles aren’t from the base anyway, but from the lookouts along the Pinnacles Loop Walking Track, which isn’t tide-dependent!
If you plan on accessing the base of The Pinnacles, please check the Pinnacles Beach tide times and swell.
How to Get to Beowa National Park
The only way to get to Pinnacles Beach is to drive there as there is no public transport access. If you don’t have a car, we recommend hiring one for the day or for your road trip.
To get to the car park, you’ll need to drive on the Pinnacles Access Road, which is an unsealed dirt road. Personally, we managed fine with a 2WD as the access road to the car park is short and mostly flat and even.
Car Hire
If you don’t have your own car, you should hire one using Discover Cars. Personally, we use Discover Cars and highly recommend them for finding your ideal car hire at an affordable price. Booking online is super easy and the free cancellation policy is great.
To find out more about renting a car with Discover Cars, read our Discover Cars review and Discover Cars Insurance review.
Where to Stay Nearby
Pinnacles Beach sits between Merimbula and Eden, so many people choose to stay in these towns during a visit to the area. Certainly, you’ll find excellent accommodation in both Merimbula and Eden, with both towns being a great base to explore Pinnacles Beach and Beowa National Park.
Stay in Merimbula or Eden
Otherwise, it’s possible to stay in Beowa National Park. There are two excellent campgrounds – the Saltwater Creek Campground and the Bittangabee Campground. Additionally, there are historic self-catering cottages at the Green Cape Lightstation Keepers’ Cottages and Telegraph Station Bunkhouse.
FYI – there is no camping at Pinnacles Beach.
What’s Near Pinnacles Beach?
Other than Pinnacles Beach and The Pinnacles, there are many other fantastic places to visit in Beowa National Park. Haycock Point, Bilgalera Point, Boyd Tower, Disaster Bay Lookout, Green Cape Lighthouse and Bittangabee Bay are just some of the other great attractions in the national park.
Read more: Beowa National Park (Formerly Ben Boyd National Park) Guide
Otherwise, if you’re happy to travel inland from the national park, you should check out Nethercote Falls.
Gear Essentials
Pinnacles Beach is a remote beach. Other than public toilets at the car park, there are no other amenities or facilities. So, make sure you’re prepared and take everything else that you may need. This could include a towel, a hat, a long-sleeved shirt, sunscreen, snacks and plenty of water.
Anyway, here are our gear essentials for the Pinnacles Beach Access and Lookout Walk.
Osprey Skarab 30
The Osprey Skarab 30 is our go-to hiking backpack for day hikes. This well-designed unisex backpack is comfortable and spacious, so you’ll have plenty of space to pack everything without feeling the strain on your upper back.
Osprey Ultralight Raincover
A waterproof backpack cover is an absolute must when you’re adventuring outdoors. The Osprey Ultralight Raincover Medium is a high-quality waterproof cover that’ll keep your backpack bone dry.
GRAYL Reusable Water Bottle
The GRAYL GeoPress is the best water filter bottle that allows you to purify 710mL (12 ounces) of water. This bottle will make water safe to drink wherever you’re hiking.
BUFF Original Ecostretch
The BUFF Original Ecostretch is a great option when it comes to multifunctional headwear. We use the Ecostretch as a neck gaiter to keep the sun off our necks and it helps us keep warm in cooler climates.
Sony Cybershot RX100 VII
Capture epic photos and videos with the Sony Cybershot RX100 VII. This is hands-down the best compact camera. We love using this simple point-and-shoot camera when we’re hiking as it’s lightweight and durable.
To find out more about all of the gear that we use and recommend, read our guides about our favourite hiking gear, travel gear and camera gear. Otherwise, read our comprehensive travel packing checklist.
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We acknowledge and respect the First Nations people as the Traditional Custodians of the land/water that we visited and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.
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