What fish can you catch at Stanwell Park Beach?

The main targets are Australian salmon and tailor in the gutters at dawn and dusk, yellowfin bream and silver trevally off the southern rocky corner, and sand whiting and dusky flathead on the open sandbanks. Dart show in summer and the occasional mulloway gets caught after dark. A paid NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish here, beach and rocks included.

Where's the best spot to fish at Stanwell Park?

The southern end against the rocks below the headland is the standout, especially for bream, drummer and trevally after a southerly has pushed bait into the corner. For salmon and tailor, find a deeper gutter against either lagoon bank and fish it at first or last light on a rising tide. Walk the beach at low tide first to mark the gutters.

Do you need a lifejacket to fish the rocks at Stanwell Park?

On the southern rocks, yes. Wollongong is a declared rock-fishing area under the Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016 and the council's map shades the southern rocky corner at Stanwell Park, so a lifejacket is compulsory when you fish with rod, line or handline from naturally occurring rock exposed to ocean swell here — adults AS 4758 level 50S or greater, under-12s level 100 or greater, $100 on-the-spot fine, and the duty extends to anyone helping you fish and any child under 12 in your care. An inflatable needs professional servicing every twelve months to count as an approved one.

When does Stanwell Park Beach fish best?

A rising tide into dawn or dusk on a light westerly morning is the prime window. The southern corner fires for a day or two after a southerly, while the open beach fishes best when the swell is below head-high and clean. Once a big east or south-east sea fills the gutters, it becomes surf rather than fishing water.

What's the bag limit for flathead and bream in NSW?

Dusky flathead must be within a 36–70cm slot with a bag limit of 5 — anything over 70cm has to go back. Yellowfin bream have a 25cm minimum and a bag of 10 shared across bream and tarwhine, and sand whiting a 27cm minimum with a bag of 20 shared across the whiting. Tailor are 30cm minimum, bag 10, and silver trevally 30cm minimum, bag 10 across all the trevallies. Check with NSW DPIRD before you go, as limits change.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Stanwell Park Beach

Wed 21 Oct 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Forecast updated Wed 21 Oct, 11:08pm AEDT

Bite Alert

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21 Oct

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Today Tomorrow Sat 31 Oct

📍 Stanwell Park Beach

waxing gibbous · 73%

Weather: Rainy Wind: N 22° · 10 km/h Swell: 0.8 m @ 5 s E Water: 19.4 °C Pressure: 1024.1 hPa ↓ falling Faces south-east · Offshore: W, NW, N · Onshore: E, SE, S · Forecast wind: offshore

★★★☆☆

Medium Fish Activity

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▸ Why this score?

At the day's peak · 6:00 am

Solunar Between windows

Time of day Dawn

Tide Turning

Wind NW 10 km/h

Moon waxing gibbous all day

Water temp 19.4 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:42 am Last light 7:40 pm

High 5:38 am Low 11:06 am High 5:16 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 10:30 am

5h 30m

Good

5:30 pm → 10:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

3:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:42 am

Last light

7:40 pm

Sunrise

6:07 am

Sunset

7:14 pm

Moonrise

2:12 pm

Moonset

3:10 am

High tide

5:38 am

Low tide

11:06 am

High tide

5:16 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

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17°

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352°

13 km/h

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17°

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345°

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17°

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321°

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16°

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318°

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313°

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15°

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330°

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334°

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10 km/h

Hourly Swell

Steady ~0.8 m E

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Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 10 km/h N (22°).

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

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:00 am → 10:30 am

5h 30m

Good

5:30 pm → 10:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

3:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:42 am

Last light

7:40 pm

Sunrise

6:07 am

Sunset

7:14 pm

Moonrise

2:12 pm

Moonset

3:10 am

High tide

5:38 am

Low tide

11:06 am

High tide

5:16 pm

Nearby Spots

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