Shellharbour City Council is urging the public to stay safe at local beaches across the Australia Day long weekend.
"Holiday weekends are an extremely busy period for our lifeguards, making it vital that everyone takes beach safety seriously," Mayor Chris Homer said.
Caption: Shellharbour City Lifeguards are set for a busy weekend. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.
Residents and visitors attending Shellharbour's six patrolled beaches over the Australia Day long weekend are being reminded to follow five essential safety tips.
1. Swim between the red and yellow flag and check patrol times before hitting the water.
2. Watch out for rips and hazards - follow the beach signage and surf outside the black and white flags.
3. If in trouble, stay calm, float and raise your hand. Our lifeguards will be with you in no time.
4. Put down the phone and stay alert to those around you - it only takes seconds.
5. Be sun safe, 'Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide'.
"As a former lifeguard, I've seen the dangers first-hand and encourage everyone to follow these tips and help keep everyone safe," Mayor Homer said.
Last year, Shellharbour City Council beaches saw an incredible 11,045 visitors over the Australia Day weekend (4,248 in the water and 6,797 on the beach). So far during the 2024/25 beach season local lifeguards have already completed 32 rescues.
Local patrolled beaches are Blacks Beach, Shellharbour North and Shellharbour South, as well as Warilla North, Central, and South.
Warilla Beach is a centre of attention this weekend as it hosts the 2025 NSW Country Surf Life Saving Championships, attracting an influx of visitors to the area.
Beachgoers are also reminded that popular destination The Farm at Killalea is in the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) jurisdiction and is not a patrolled beach.
