Scarborough North

Beach

The northern Scarborough beach (NSW 355) is located at the base of 60 m high cliffs, and accessable only via 500 m of rocky shore from the main beach. It consists of a curving 200 m long sandy beach, wedged between 50 m wide rock platforms, covered in cliff debris,... Read more

The northern Scarborough beach (NSW 355) is located at the base of 60 m high cliffs, and accessable only via 500 m of rocky shore from the main beach. It consists of a curving 200 m long sandy beach, wedged between 50 m wide rock platforms, covered in cliff debris, with a 120 m wide central opening to the sea. Waves average 1.5 m and break over a mixture of sand and rocks, with a strong permanent rip usually draining out against the northern rocks. It is an isolated beach unsuitable for swimming and prone to rock falls.

Swimming

Only Scarborough Beach is suitable for swimming when patrolled. All three are rip and in places rock-dominated, so use care, or use the Wombarra pool.

Surfing

Scarborough has a mix of sand and reef breaks, with the northern and southern rocks providing good breaks under the right conditions.

Fishing

Usually good gutters along all three beaches, with extensive flat rock platforms at each end.

General

The Lawrence Hargraves Drive winds 2.5 km south of Coalcliff, along the Sea Cliff Bridge, past the small community of Clifton to the equally small Scarborough, located high on the slopes in lee of Cape Horn. Extending 1.5 km southwest of the cape to Wombarra Reef, are three slight embayments in the backing slopes, containing three exposed beaches (NSW 335-337), all backed by the larger settlement of Wombarra (Fig. 4.279).