Plane Watching and Reminiscing at Kurnell Point

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📍 Location: Kurnell Point Lookout

🚗 Getting There: Kurnell NSW 2231, if you don’t have access to a car, you can catch a bus! Take the 987 from Cronulla Train Station and get off at Balboa St at Prince Charles Pde

I originally planned to include this spot as part of a larger guide, and maybe I will down the track. But after some much-needed quiet time following the busy buzz of the Easter weekend, I felt it deserved a post of its own.

I should mention that I’ve only been here once, but something tells me this place isn’t going anywhere, and I already know I’ll be coming back again and again.

Kurnell Point is the perfect place to sit on the sand or rocks and watch planes take off from Sydney Airport. Situated directly across the bay from the runway, it’s about an hour’s drive from Sydney’s CBD and tucked away in the Sutherland Shire.

While it’s technically still within Sydney, I’m listing it as a day trip because, let’s be honest, most people reading this will have to travel a fair bit to get here. But trust me, it’s worth the trip.

It’s not the best spot for a swim (Cronulla Beach, just 15 minutes away, is better for that), but Kurnell Point is special for other reasons. It’s a beautiful place to watch the planes take off, especially during sunset. Whether you’re planning a romantic picnic with someone special or just need space to be alone with your thoughts, Kurnell Point is ideal for quiet introspection and a gentle reset.

There’s a strange tenderness in watching planes take off so close. Outside the airport, away from the baggage check and departure gate frenzy, the roaring engine of a plane sounds like thunder stitched to wings. It’s loud, it’s obnoxious, but it’s also strangely comforting. Sitting on the rocks at Kurnell Point made me lose track of time in a way I haven’t felt in so long.

Watching the planes intermittently fly in and out, I found myself thinking about the stories of all the people on the flights. For many, travel is exciting, filled with the promise of adventure or relaxation. But for a lot of people, airports can bring feelings of heaviness, of missing loved ones, of regret, of the quiet burden of things left unsaid as someone disappears behind the boarding gates, maybe for a long time, maybe forever.

As I sat on the rocks, watching each plane rise and disappear into the sky, I couldn’t help but think about the trips I’ve taken, the places that felt like home for a while, the friends I made who were only ever passing through. It made me realise how much my travel is shaped by transience. Not just the experiences I’ve enjoyed, but also what I’ve left behind, and how quickly things shift when I’m always moving.

Solo travel, especially, taught me that some connections don’t last and that’s okay. It doesn’t make them meaningless. Sitting here, in the stillness of Kurnell Point, those moments had space to surface, and I welcomed those fond memories.

I’ll be back. Not because it’s a checklist spot, but because it’s rare to find somewhere that lets you feel and reflect so easily. The planes will keep coming and going. And maybe next time, I’ll bring someone else here. Or maybe I won’t. Either way, I know I’ve found a place that lets me be still, even just for a while.

I hope my ramblings haven’t put you off! Kurnell Point really is worth the visit, and I hope you end up liking it as much as I do.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!