Australia's best beaches: Which NSW coast will steal your heart this summer?

Both the North and South coasts in NSW are rich in divine beaches and laid-back towns, but if you're not sure which of these summertime gems is for you, our experts can help you decide.

By Amy Cooper

Coastal NSW is one long summer playground from top to toe. Whatever your latitude, sun-drenched good times are guaranteed to roll. But just like a trifle or a tequila sunrise cocktail, the state's coast gets better the farther down you go. Maybe I'm biased because I tied the knot in Mollymook, a Shoalhaven spot so outrageously gorgeous that had it been human I could have contemplated leaving hubby at the altar to run off with it. It was like visual champagne. The beach was whiter than the icing on the cake, and we were photo-bombed by frolicking humpback whales.

That's so South Coast: showstoppers all the way, through 400 curvy blue and golden kilometres meandering southwards from the Illawarra coast to the clue's-in-the-name Sapphire Coast, with detours inland to rainforests, vineyards and rural idylls. If you happen to be coming from Sydney, you're not even beyond its city limits before Australia's oldest national park wraps you in its wild embrace. Royal National Park's 15,000 hectares of wind-hewn cliffs, palm forests and spotless sands set the scene for the great outdoors to come.

With more than 30 national parks and marine reserves, the South Coast has space in spades. By the time Mal's found a parking spot in Byron, you could be several shores into Shoalhaven's 100 Beach Challenge, a bliss-list of dove-white sands including megastars like Hyams and Chinamans, and hidden gems that over-deliver on their titular promises: Tranquillity Bay, Pretty Beach, Honeymoon Bay, Merry Beach.

On the White Sand Walk in Jervis Bay National Park, you'll cross snowy swathes surrounded by protected habitat for penguins and dolphins. Then leave dry land entirely as you follow the Batemans Bay Snorkelling Trail in Batemans Marine Park, where you'll be sharing water and playtime with Montague Island's friendly wild fur seals.

Indigenous history resonates all the way. During the summer months in Gulaga National Park, you can experience the remarkable Indigenous-guided Yuin Retreat, a two-day cultural immersion filled with ceremony, nature and stories.

This is the first summer the former Ben Boyd National Park's 47 kilometres of craggy coastline will be known as Beowa, meaning "orca", in the language of the Thaua people. Their clifftop Whale Dreaming Trail opens the Bundian Way, a 365-kilometre Aboriginal route from the South Coast to Mount Kosciuszko.

The Sapphire Coast is astonishingly beautiful, with its 150 beaches and pristine estuaries overflowing with seafood. The oyster's your world as you slurp around shellar doors serving the finest Rocks or savour them with delicious drops acquired along the way. Or maybe at sunset in an award-winning restaurant like Merimbula's Valentina. A perfect summer on a plate. Shucks, it's stunning in the south.

By Mal Chenu

If you're taking an early summer holiday and wondering why the ocean is so cold and you're still wearing a jacket to dinner, you've gone the wrong way.

The South Coast of NSW, for all its charms, can't compete with the North when it comes to hot. Or cool. Ulladulla is nice enough but it has far fewer Byron Baes and Hemsworths per hectare than Byron Bay.

Nearer the topics and far more laid back, the North Coast offers a warmer, spicier retreat for those looking to shake off the winter blues with a dose of pre-solstice sunshine.

The mean daily maximum in Byron Bay in December is a balmy 27 degrees, a full four degrees warmer than Ulladulla, which averages just 23 degrees. And the night-time minima offer a full six degrees of separation, with balmy Byron's 20 overwhelming Ulladulla's 14.

The North Coast is replete with eclectic gems: surf breaks at Yamba, street art in Lismore, the stunning coastal walk from Ballina to Lennox Head, and tie-dye and dreamcatchers in bohemian Bangalow, to name but a few.

In the Northern Rivers region of the North Coast, numerous waterways weave their way from the ranges to the sea, including the Clarence, Richmond and Tweed, creating fertile valleys that grow scrumptious staples.

Guided foodie tours are an enlightening way to get a taste of the area. Two such appetising morsels are the Tweed Valley Food and Farm Tour, and the First Nations-focused Pot to Plate Adventure, where culture, history and bush tucker are all on the menu.

Bird-luring wetlands and ancient rainforests make the North Coast a botanical paradise, too. The primeval World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests' native plants, including huge eucalyptus trees and vibrant wildflowers, have grown here for millions of years, about the same time it takes to find a parking spot at Hyams Beach.

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