MapAustraliaBar BeachAustralia

Bar Beach

New South Wales · Newcastle

also known as Susan Gilmore Beach

wavesnot for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

no season named

Months riders and schools name

How windy

11–13 kt

Modelled monthly average; no knot figure publishedCharacter: mixed · cross-shore

See Month by month

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

23–26 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy December January February March

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Newcastle Airport (NTL)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Bar Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Dixon Park Beach / Merewether Beachno page yet
Nobbys Beachno page yet
Stockton Beachno page yet
Squids, Lake Macquarieno page yet
Swansea Fishermans Co-opno page yet
Redhead Beachno page yet

The spot

Bar Beach is the northern end of the Bar-Dixon Park-Merewether ocean beach on the south side of central Newcastle, and it is a wave spot: open Tasman swell, a heavy shorebreak, a rip at each end. Locals ride the Bar/Merewether stretch in anything from NE to S, and NE or SE are the directions to plan around.

Hazard rating

The Surf Life Saving Australia hazard rating is 7/10. That is the number to keep in mind: rips, currents, shorebreak and rock or reef at the ends, on a beach with Cooks Hill SLSC patrols year-round, so the flagged swimming area is off limits, full stop.

Conditions

Water is warm by Australian standards in late summer and wetsuit territory in winter. Winter westerlies come in strong and offshore here, which is no use on a southeast-facing beach.

Which months are best and what size kite people rig are unconfirmed; nobody keeps wind stats for Bar Beach itself. If you want flat water or a first lesson, go to Lake Macquarie or Port Stephens instead.

The wind

Direction

cross-shore

Dominant direction

Bar/Merewether is workable in NE to S wind, especially NE or SE. April and September are generally the least windy periods in Newcastle, and winter can bring very strong westerlies.

Character

mixed

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Modelled monthly average: 11–13 kt — see Month by month

Open-coast wind. In the warm season it is sea breezes and southerlies; in winter the strong stuff is synoptic westerlies, which are offshore on this southeast-facing beach and no use here. Check the Nobbys Head/Newcastle AWS, then check the sand before you rig.

Nobody keeps monthly kite stats for Bar Beach itself. April and September are generally the quietest months for wind in Newcastle; winter westerlies can go past 40 knots, and those are offshore here.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan72
Feb78
Mar54
Apr44
May37
Jun58
Jul67
Aug44
Sep64
Oct72
Nov69
Dec73

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

13 ktJan22°
13 ktFeb23°
12 ktMar24°
11 ktApr22°
11 ktMay20°
12 ktJun20°
13 ktJul18°
11 ktAug18°
13 ktSep19°
13 ktOct19°
13 ktNov20°
13 ktDec21°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	72%	13.1 kt	ENE	23.4 °C	22.3 °C
Feb	78%	13.2 kt	NE	23.1 °C	23.1 °C
Mar	54%	12 kt	E	22.2 °C	23.5 °C
Apr	44%	11.2 kt	S	19 °C	22.1 °C
May	37%	10.6 kt	SW	15.7 °C	20.2 °C
Jun	58%	12 kt	WNW	13 °C	19.7 °C
Jul	67%	12.8 kt	WNW	13.4 °C	17.9 °C
Aug	44%	11.4 kt	NW	14.7 °C	18.2 °C
Sep	64%	13.2 kt	WNW	16.8 °C	18.8 °C
Oct	72%	13.2 kt	NE	18.4 °C	19.3 °C
Nov	69%	12.7 kt	ENE	20.1 °C	20.3 °C
Dec	73%	12.8 kt	ENE	22.1 °C	21 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

waves

Tides

Open Tasman Sea surf beach. Tide moves the sandbar, the rips and how much rock is showing; no kite-specific tide window is known.

Temperature

23–26 °C summer · 16–21 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 18–24 °C

Wetsuit

A 2 mm top/shorty is useful in the warm peak if windy or at dawn/dusk; a sealed 3/2 mm full suit is appropriate around the July minimum.

Currents

Littoral drift, flash rips and 4-5 beach rips along the Bar-Dixon-Merewether stretch, plus a permanent rip at each end; the northern one at Cooks Hill is the stronger.

Conditions

The northern 0.5 km of the exposed, southeast-facing Bar-Dixon Park-Merewether beach, with Bar Rocks at the north end and the Merewether rocks and rock pool to the south. Average wave height is around 1.6 m. Reef and rock sit at both ends and show up along the beach after erosion.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Intermediate and up, ideally on a surfboard. The Surf Life Saving Australia hazard rating is 7/10: rips, littoral currents, high surf, unexpected sets, shorebreak and gutters. If you are learning, book a school and let it take you to Lake Macquarie or Port Stephens; do not self-launch here.

The scene

What riders come here for

wave ridingsurfboard sessionsexperienced ocean kitingurban after-work sessions when wind and beach traffic allow

An urban surf beach shared with swimmers, surfers, families and the Cooks Hill SLSC patrol. The wider Bar-Dixon-Merewether beach is Newcastle's most popular, so summer weekends are packed even when the council beach status page shows it quiet.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Lifeguards patrol Bar Beach year-round, with 2026/27 patrol hours published by the council. That is swimmer cover, not kite rescue; nobody is coming out for a downed kite.

Launch

Launch anywhere along the Bar/Merewether beach in NE to S wind, away from the flagged swimming area. Bar Beach itself is the northern 0.5 km, patrolled by Cooks Hill SLSC, with a proper car park, toilets, showers, change rooms, a kiosk, BBQ and picnic areas, shade and a bus stop.

Hazards riders report 6 reported

Wind

Offshore or gusty westerly winter winds are unsuitable for this open-ocean beach without reliable recovery options.

Crowds and zones

Patrolled swimming flags and the public that swims between them; stay out of the flagged area.

Bottom

Rocks, reefs and rock platforms at the northern and southern ends, and rocks/reefs can be exposed along the beach after erosion.

Waves and currents

High surf, big unexpected sets, heavy shorebreak and gutters.
Several beach rips plus a permanent rip at each end; the northern one off Cooks Hill is the stronger.
Urban beach traffic, surf lifesaving operations, surfers and swimmers, especially in summer and during patrol hours.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: there is no Bar Beach kite permit and no marked kite zone in City of Newcastle material. Stay out of the patrolled flagged swimming area.

Beach rules: no littering, no vehicles, no alcohol, no dogs or cats, no glass. NSW lifejacket, distance-off and collision rules apply on the water; under the NSW Government safe-distance rules, sailboards and kiteboards up to 5.5 m without an engine are excepted from the listed minimum distances but must keep a safe distance and a safe speed at all times.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ask a Newcastle rider or school where to rig before your first session; the launch moves with the flags, the beach width and whatever erosion has done that month.
Rig well clear of the red/yellow flags and the Cooks Hill SLSC patrol, and on a crowded summer day pack down as soon as you land.
Read the Nobbys Head/Newcastle AWS, then look at the water: a winter westerly can show 40 knots on the station and be dead offshore on the sand.
Skip the big-swell days unless you can self-rescue in open ocean and read a rip; there is no kite rescue, only the swimmer patrol.
Wear booties near the rock ends, and after an erosion event when reef sits exposed along the beach.

Getting there

Airport

Newcastle Airport (NTL), Williamtown; Sydney Airport (SYD) is a longer rail/road alternative.

Route

Newcastle is reachable by M1 from Sydney, by regular Newcastle and Central Coast Line trains to Newcastle Interchange, and by direct flights from several Australian cities. Local buses and light rail serve the city; Bar Beach has road, bus and parking access.

Transfer

About 25 minutes by road from Newcastle Airport/CBD area; public buses run from Newcastle Airport to Newcastle Interchange up to 11 times daily, with contactless and Opal payment accepted.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Stay in Bar Beach, Cooks Hill, The Hill, Newcastle East, Merewether or Newcastle CBD for quick beach access; use Lake Macquarie or Port Stephens bases if the trip focus is lessons and flat water.

No-wind days

ANZAC Walk above Bar Beach, Bathers Way coastal walk to Merewether, Newcastle Ocean Baths and Merewether Ocean Baths, Cooks Hill/Darby Street cafes, King Edward Park, Blackbutt Reserve, Stockton ferry and beaches, surf lessons or regular surfing.

Photos

FAQ

Is Bar Beach suitable for beginners?

No. Surf Life Saving Australia rates the beach a 7 out of 10 hazard with rips, high surf and shorebreak, so beginners should learn at a flat-water venue such as Lake Macquarie or Port Stephens instead.

What is the wind like?

Local kite sources list the Bar/Merewether run as workable in northeast to south wind, especially northeast or southeast; April and September are generally the least windy months, and winter can bring very strong westerlies.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

No spot-specific kite permit or formal kite zone was found, but local guidance says to avoid flagged patrolled swimming areas, and general beach rules ban vehicles, alcohol, glass and dogs.

What hazards should I know about?

Surf Life Saving Australia lists littoral currents, flash rips, four to five beach rips and permanent rips at both ends of the beach, plus rocks and reef platforms at the northern and southern ends.

Are there kite schools nearby?

No school operates directly at Bar Beach, but Escape Eco Adventures teaches in the wider Newcastle area, and Barnzey Water Sports and Ride High Kiteboarding serve nearby Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens.

Last updated: August 2026