Thongs Off, Worries Off: Your Hawks Nest Beach Escape Starts Here
Bondi? Sure, if you’re into brunch queues, parking meters, and doing laps to score a parking spot or claim two square metres of sand for your towel. At Hawks Nest NSW, you park out front – for free. Bondi’s brunch line? Twenty deep. In Hawks Nest, there’s no crowds. You grab a hot pie, feed a seagull, and you’re back on the beach before the influencers even finish posing with their lattes.
And you won’t spot a dolphin at Bondi, but you will at “The Dolphins Playground” – Hawks Nest. (Whales too, if you’re lucky.)
Bondi? It’s curated with more selfies than sand between your toes. Hawks Nest? It’s real. Unfiltered. Salty in all the best ways – just dolphins, sea spray, and that lovely smell of sunscreen and hot chips on the breeze.
And right in the heart of it all? Welcome to Bennetts by the Beach.
Bennetts by the Beach: Barefoot Luxury with Benefits
This dreamy apartment was made for water lovers, nap takers, and sunset drinkers. Slide open the door and breathe it in – sea air, sunshine, and the promise of slow days. With ocean views out front, a shimmering shared pool and the sand literally metres from your door, Bennetts by the Beach wraps you in that breezy, barefoot holiday magic.
Bennett’s oversized courtyard is huge and looks out onto the front grass lawn and across to the dunes and beach access. This is where salty towels hang like flags after morning swims, and coffee lingers into lunch and a place for evening cocktails as the light turns gold.
Inside, it’s a balance of comfort meets coastal charm: a fully equipped kitchen for laid-back feasts, squishy lounges for late-night chats, and three serene bedrooms that sleep up to nine guests in cloud-soft beds.
Waiting on the bench? A chilled bottle of bubbly, nibbles to graze on, and a local restaurant voucher, just because holidays should start the second you arrive.
How to Do Absolutely Nothing (Brilliantly) in Hawks Nest
The best things to do in Hawks Nest? Start with doing nothing at all. Linger barefoot on the balcony while the morning sun warms your coffee cup and yesterday’s beach read still has sand between the pages. Wander down to the shore, towel in one hand, book in the other, and maybe a cinnamon scroll tucked somewhere in between.
The beach stretches for miles. Walk and don’t think. The surf’s usually gentle. And the dolphins? They turn up more often than you’d expect, especially in the early mornings, playing just beyond the break.
It’s all sea breezes, sandy fingers, and that rare kind of stillness you only find when you finally stop checking your phone.
Things to do around Hawks Nest (when you’ve had your nap)
When the mood shifts from chill to “let’s do something,” Hawks Nest doesn’t shout, it gently nudges. Take the track up Yacaaba Headland. It’s a bit of a climb, but the salty air and sweeping ocean views are worth it. Or take a paddleboard or kayak and drift along the Myall River which is calm, glassy, and edged with bushland alive with birdsong. You’ll hear the birds before you see it and beautiful flocks burst from the trees as you glide past, wings catching the light.
And you could jump on a bike too, and coast the quiet backstreets. One hand on the handlebars, the other balancing your ice cream. It’s that kind of ride, unhurried and sweet.
Got a golfer amongst you? The local course is a minute away, with fairway greens that roll like velvet and a casual, welcoming club house like everything else here.
But if you’re hankering for a flat white or feel like poking around for fresh bread, local honey, or a beachy treasure, with a café and shops nearby waiting for you. Or jump on the ferry (bring your own snacks and drinks) and sit back and admire the view. The ferry heads to the vibrant town of Nelson Bay with plenty of scenic attractions.
We’ve wrapped it all up in our Things To do around Hawks Nest guide for when the beach nap ends and curiosity kicks in.
What’s left to do in Hawks Nest?
Take another dip. Wander the dunes. Stretch out on the beach and watch the sky turn pink. There’s plenty to do here, just in slow time. Because while you’re in Bondi still circling for a park, you’ve already had a swim, a nap, and picked out tomorrow’s adventure.
Lovely, laid back Hawks Nest.
