Beachwatch report reveals declining water quality at several Australian beaches

The 2026 State of the Beaches report, based on Beachwatch testing, has revealed varying water quality levels across several Australian coastal regions.

In the Sutherland Shire, Gymea Bay Baths has received a ‘very poor’ rating for the fourth consecutive year. Gunnamatta Bay Baths was also rated ‘poor’, while Como Baths showed improvement with a ‘good’ rating. Several locations, including North Cronulla, Elouera, and Wanda, maintained ‘very good’ ratings. Sutherland Shire Council is currently undertaking upgrades at Gymea Bay Reserve, including drainage improvements, which are expected to be completed by early 2027.

In the Illawarra region, Surf Beach at Kiama saw a significant decline in water quality, dropping from a ‘good’ rating last year to ‘poor’ for 2026. The decline is largely attributed to enterococci bacteria levels rising following rainfall, likely due to stormwater or sewage runoff. While the beach remains safe to swim in during dry weather 90 per cent of the time, bacteria levels exceed safe guidelines nearly half the time following rain. Other regional beaches, such as Stanwell Park and Coledale, maintained ‘very good’ ratings.