Smiths Beach is a stunning 1 km southwest-facing surf beach on Phillip Island's rugged southern coast, backed by low dunes and grassy headlands. Its consistent waves draw beginner-to-advanced surfers, but the real snorkeling magic happens at low tide when the large, protected rock pools at both ends of the beach reveal a miniature underwater world. These calm, shallow pools are perfect for families and novice snorkelers, offering a safe alternative to the open surf while still delivering close-up encounters with local marine life in crystal-clear conditions.
Smiths Beach (Phillip Island)
Poor conditions. Stay out today.
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Community contribution: submitted by Daniel
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Moderate risk: Strong rips and currents
The surf beach can experience powerful rip currents, especially near the centre of the beach and around rock formations.
Moderate risk: Unpatrolled outside summer
Lifesavers patrol only from 27 December to 25 January; outside these dates there is no supervision.
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Getting in
Located at 895 Phillip Island Tourist Road, Smiths Beach VIC. Approximately 90 minutes south-east of Melbourne via the M1 and Bass Highway, then across the bridge to Phillip Island. Follow Phillip Island Tourist Road south-west to Smiths Beach.
Sealed car park with designated disabled parking spaces available. Ramp from car park to beach is wheelchair-friendly.
No entry fee. Free parking at the beach carpark.
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About this data
- Conditions last evaluated
- Spot data last updated
- Data sources
- Open-Meteo (marine & weather conditions), tide predictions via UTide, community contributors (descriptions, hazards, marine life).
- License
- Spot content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. How's the Spot is open source.