Wagga Wagga
Best Beach · NSW
Tourism Australia's Best Beach 2020, No. 9.
Yes, it's a beach, but not as you know them.
Yes, it's a beach, but not as you know them. The Wagga Riverside Beach experience transcends the definition of a beach anywhere across this vast sunburnt country. City slickers and coastal dwellers come around to envy the tranquil gum-lined sandy shores of the Murrumbidgee River. Early morning swimmers with their dogs and canoes come here to refresh before work, summer beach cricketers splash in the shallows on hitting a six and smoky barbies glow at sunset over relaxed conversations. Wagga, or Wagga Wagga (so good they named it twice), is now christened as Australia's first-ever officially recognised freshwater inland 'beach'. Free from sharks, clean and green, Wagga is not only the biggest city in regional NSW but one of the friendliest. Mid-way between Sydney and Melbourne, the river beach is a welcomed oasis, as it has been since the earliest human inhabitation.
⚠️ Ocean conditions can change quickly and rips can form even on calm days. Only swim at patrolled beaches, and supervise children at all times.