Do you need a permit to drive on Bennetts Beach Hawks Nest?

Yes. 4WD access runs north from the surf club to the Myall Lakes National Park boundary, and a MidCoast Council beach vehicle permit is required — check the council's current permit options before you drive on. Drop your tyre pressures, stick to the marked access tracks and stay off the dunes, as the council actively patrols vehicle use here. Mungo Beach, inside Myall Lakes National Park further north, has been closed to 4WD since May 2026 after beach erosion. You also need a NSW Recreational Fishing Fee to fish anywhere in NSW, including off this beach.

What fish can you catch off Bennetts Beach at Hawks Nest?

The beach produces mulloway (jewfish) from the deep gutters, tailor and Australian salmon through the cooler months, and a strong run of winter bream and tailor that the spot is known for. Sand whiting and dart work the shallow gutters in the warmer months on fresh beach worm and pipi, and dusky flathead turn up over summer. The Yacaaba Headland rocks at the southern end add snapper to the tailor and jew. Remember NSW bag and size limits — for example dusky flathead must be within a 36–70cm slot — and check current NSW DPIRD rules before you keep anything.

When is the best time to fish Bennetts Beach?

Low light on a rising tide into the change is the prime window — dawn and dusk do most of the damage. Late autumn through winter, roughly May to August, is the headline season for bream, tailor and salmon, while mulloway run best from spring into early winter on the night tides. A moderate swell around 1–1.5m that carves defined gutters fishes far better than a flat, featureless beach, so it is worth walking the sand at low tide to find the holes before you cast.

Do you need a lifejacket to fish the rocks at Yacaaba Headland?

Wear one. Yacaaba is a serious rock-fishing platform where swell washes the lower ledges without warning and the rock stays slick long after a sea drops, so a lifejacket is strongly recommended on any swell-washed rock or wall here — adults AS 4758 level 50S or greater, under-12s level 100. Cleated boots, a mate on the rock and never turning your back on the sea belong with it.

Where can you get bait near Bennetts Beach?

Tackle and bait outlets in Hawks Nest and across at Tea Gardens cover the frozen and fresh staples. The best local bait, though, you collect yourself — the beach carries pipis at the shoreline and beach worms in the wet sand on a falling tide, and fresh worm or pipi will outfish anything frozen for whiting, bream and dart. Keep it within the rules: pipis are bait-only, must not be taken beyond 50 m from the high-tide mark and are limited to 50 per person, while beach worms are capped at 20.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Bennetts Beach

Thu 17 Sep 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Save

←

17 Sep

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Today Tomorrow Sat 19 Sep

📍 Bennetts Beach

waxing crescent · 28%

Weather: Rainy Wind: S 197° · 23 km/h Swell: 2.5 m @ 8 s S Water: 18.6 °C Pressure: 1030.4 hPa → steady

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 pm

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dusk

Tide Turning

Wind SW 17 km/h

Moon waxing crescent all day

Water temp 18.6 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:24 am Last light 6:08 pm

Low 4:43 am High 11:30 am Low 6:17 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:00 pm → 7:30 pm

3h 30m

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:24 am

Last light

6:08 pm

Sunrise

5:48 am

Sunset

5:44 pm

Moonrise

8:56 am

Moonset

11:53 pm

Low tide

4:43 am

High tide

11:30 am

Low tide

6:17 pm

High tide

11:47 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

🌧️

14°

↓︎

192°

28 km/h

1am

🌧️

14°

↓︎

194°

28 km/h

2am

🌧️

14°

↓︎

194°

28 km/h

3am

🌧️

14°

↓︎

194°

28 km/h

4am

🌧️

13°

↓︎

196°

27 km/h

5am

🌧️

13°

↓︎

201°

24 km/h

6am

🌧️

12°

↙︎

211°

21 km/h

7am

🌧️

12°

↙︎

218°

19 km/h

8am

🌧️

12°

↙︎

217°

19 km/h

9am

🌧️

12°

↙︎

211°

19 km/h

10am

🌧️

13°

↙︎

205°

20 km/h

11am

🌧️

14°

↓︎

201°

21 km/h

12pm

🌧️

15°

↓︎

197°

23 km/h

1pm

🌧️

16°

↓︎

195°

23 km/h

2pm

🌧️

16°

↓︎

194°

24 km/h

3pm

🌧️

16°

↓︎

194°

23 km/h

4pm

🌧️

16°

↓︎

195°

22 km/h

5pm

🌧️

15°

↓︎

198°

20 km/h

6pm

🌧️

15°

↙︎

204°

17 km/h

7pm

🌧️

14°

↙︎

209°

15 km/h

8pm

☀️

14°

↙︎

208°

13 km/h

9pm

☀️

14°

↙︎

203°

12 km/h

10pm

☀️

14°

↙︎

205°

10 km/h

11pm

☀️

13°

↙︎

226°

9 km/h

Hourly Swell

Building 1.9 → 2.2 m S

12am

1.9 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

1am

2.0 m

@ 10 s

↓︎

Moderate

2am

2.0 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

3am

2.1 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

4am

2.1 m

@ 9 s

↘︎

Solid

5am

2.3 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

6am

2.4 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

7am

2.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

8am

2.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

9am

2.6 m

@ 9 s

↓︎

Solid

10am

2.6 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

11am

2.6 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

12pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

1pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

2pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

3pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

4pm

2.6 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

5pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

6pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

7pm

2.5 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

8pm

2.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

9pm

2.4 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

10pm

2.3 m

@ 8 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

11pm

2.2 m

@ 7 s

↓︎

Solid

chop

Water Temp (°C)

↘ cooling — down 0.6° over the last 3 days

Mon

14 Sep

19.2°

Tue

15 Sep

19.4°

Wed

16 Sep

19.1°

Thu

17 Sep

18.6°

Fri

18 Sep

18.6°

Sat

19 Sep

18.8°

Sun

20 Sep

19.0°

Mon

21 Sep

19.2°

Tue

22 Sep

19.4°

Wed

23 Sep

—

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 23 km/h S (197°).

Wind map data: ECMWF HRES (operational), updated every 6 hours. Not for navigation.

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

4:00 pm → 7:30 pm

3h 30m

Good

5:00 am → 6:30 am

1h 30m

First light

5:24 am

Last light

6:08 pm

Sunrise

5:48 am

Sunset

5:44 pm

Moonrise

8:56 am

Moonset

11:53 pm

Low tide

4:43 am

High tide

11:30 am

Low tide

6:17 pm

High tide

11:47 pm

Nearby spots

Species at this spot

Mulloway (Jewfish)
Tailor
Australian Salmon
Yellowfin Bream
Sand Whiting
Dart
Dusky Flathead