Do you need a licence to fish at Wattamolla?

Yes. A NSW Recreational Fishing Fee is required to fish anywhere in NSW, including the beach, lagoon and rocks at Wattamolla. It is $7 for three days, $14 for a month, $35 for a year or $85 for three years, and the receipt has to be carried while you fish. Separately, Royal National Park charges a $12 per vehicle daily entry fee to drive in.

Is a lifejacket compulsory for rock fishing at Wattamolla?

Yes on the ocean ledges. Wattamolla is in the Sutherland Shire local government area, a declared area under the NSW Rock Fishing Safety Act 2016, and the law requires an appropriate lifejacket whenever you fish with rod, line or handline from naturally occurring rock exposed to ocean swell. It covers anyone helping you and any child under 12 in your care. Adults need AS 4758 level 50S or greater, under-12s need level 100, and a $100 on-the-spot fine applies. Wear one on any rock here that takes swell, because most of it does.

What can you catch at Wattamolla?

In the sheltered bay and lagoon, sand whiting and yellowfin bream over the sand, mostly in the warmer months with bream around all year. Off the ocean rock ledges, Australian salmon and tailor in the cooler half of the year, yellowtail kingfish and bonito in summer, and rock blackfish (drummer) and luderick close to the wash. The rocks reward a steady berley trail. Note the lagoon is closed to all recreational nets and traps except a landing net, though line fishing there is unaffected.

When is the best time to fish the rocks at Wattamolla?

Dawn and the last hour before dark, on a small, clean and ideally dropping swell. The ledges face the open ocean and wash over on any real swell, so check the forecast and only fish them when conditions are calm. Bear in mind that until 18 December 2026 the picnic area is closed sunset to sunrise, Monday to Thursday excluding school holidays, so on those nights the dawn and dusk sessions are not available at all. Autumn and winter are the standout for salmon, tailor, blackfish and luderick, while summer brings the kingfish shot.

Is Wattamolla good for kids and beginners?

The lagoon and the back of the cove are excellent for kids — calm, sheltered water away from the surf, with whiting and bream on simple bait rigs, plus toilets, picnic tables and barbecues a short walk away. Keep children well off the ocean rock ledges, which are dangerous and have caused deaths, and do not let anyone jump from the top of the waterfall into the lagoon, because many people have been injured that way. Until 30 September 2026 beach access is via the eastern stairs only, which is tide dependent, and until 18 December 2026 the picnic area closes sunset to sunrise Monday to Thursday excluding school holidays. Arrive early on summer weekends, as the car park fills fast.

Bite Compass

Bite Forecast

Wattamolla (Royal National Park)

Wed 21 Oct 2026 · Australia/Sydney

Forecast updated Wed 21 Oct, 11:08pm AEDT

Bite Alert

←

21 Oct

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Today Tomorrow Sat 31 Oct

📍 Wattamolla (Royal National Park)

waxing gibbous · 73%

Weather: Rainy Wind: NE 26° · 10 km/h Swell: 0.9 m @ 5 s E Water: 19.6 °C Pressure: 1024.1 hPa ↓ falling Faces south-east · Offshore: W, NW, N · Onshore: E, SE, S · Forecast wind: cross-shore

★★★☆☆

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 6 km/h

Moon waxing gibbous all day

Water temp 19.6 °C all day

Learn how the score works →

Activity Forecast

Day Timeline

Major Minor Tide Twilight

First light 5:41 am Last light 7:39 pm

High 5:33 am Low 11:00 am High 5:16 pm

Drag or use arrow keys to explore

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:30 am → 11:30 am

Good

5:30 pm → 10:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

3:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:41 am

Last light

7:39 pm

Sunrise

6:07 am

Sunset

7:13 pm

Moonrise

2:11 pm

Moonset

3:09 am

High tide

5:33 am

Low tide

11:00 am

High tide

5:16 pm

Hourly Wind

High Bite Hours Highlighted

12am

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17°

↑︎

346°

10 km/h

1am

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17°

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325°

9 km/h

2am

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16°

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290°

8 km/h

3am

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15°

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299°

7 km/h

4am

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15°

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298°

5 km/h

5am

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15°

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321°

5 km/h

6am

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15°

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327°

6 km/h

7am

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17°

↖︎

327°

8 km/h

8am

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20°

↑︎

356°

8 km/h

9am

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21°

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34°

9 km/h

10am

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22°

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55°

10 km/h

11am

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23°

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63°

12 km/h

12pm

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23°

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74°

13 km/h

1pm

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23°

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71°

15 km/h

2pm

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23°

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65°

16 km/h

3pm

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22°

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61°

15 km/h

4pm

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22°

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63°

15 km/h

5pm

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21°

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56°

15 km/h

6pm

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20°

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55°

14 km/h

7pm

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19°

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54°

12 km/h

8pm

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18°

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54°

12 km/h

9pm

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18°

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46°

11 km/h

10pm

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17°

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16°

8 km/h

11pm

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18°

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26°

10 km/h

Hourly Swell

Steady ~0.9 m E

12am

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

1am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

2am

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

3am

0.7 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

4am

0.7 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

5am

0.7 m

@ 4 s

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Slight

chop

6am

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

7am

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

8am

0.9 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

9am

0.9 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

10am

0.9 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

11am

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

12pm

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

1pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

2pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

3pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

4pm

0.8 m

@ 6 s

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Slight

chop

5pm

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

6pm

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

7pm

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

8pm

0.8 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

9pm

0.9 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

10pm

0.9 m

@ 5 s

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Slight

chop

11pm

0.9 m

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Slight

chop

Wind Map

Wind data (text)

Now: 10 km/h NE (26°).

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

Feeding Windows

Best times to fish based on activity score.

Peak

5:30 am → 11:30 am

Good

5:30 pm → 10:00 pm

4h 30m

Good

3:00 am → 4:00 am

First light

5:41 am

Last light

7:39 pm

Sunrise

6:07 am

Sunset

7:13 pm

Moonrise

2:11 pm

Moonset

3:09 am

High tide

5:33 am

Low tide

11:00 am

High tide

5:16 pm

Nearby Spots

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