Terrigal Lagoon

Terrigal Lagoon sits between Terrigal Beach and Wamberal Beach, crossed by a footbridge that locals use as a shortcut and visitors use for the view down onto the water. On a still day it’s calmer than either beach on either side of it, which is why paddle boats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards outnumber swimmers here.

Terrigal Paddle Boats hires all three from the eastern bank near the bridge, walk-up only, no booking required. The lagoon isn’t always open to the ocean either: after heavy rain the outlet can close up, and locals give it a miss for swimming until the water has had a chance to flush through rather than checking a water quality report.

Families with younger children tend to use the lagoon rather than the main beach for exactly this reason: no swell, no rips, and enough width to keep a paddle board clear of the bridge pylons.

Dogs need to stay on a lead on the Terrigal side of the lagoon. Council’s off-leash zone starts further north, past the lagoon, on the approach to Wamberal Beach, so it’s a lead-on walk here even though the off-leash area isn’t far away.