VAINUI is located in a secluded and sheltered bay of Smiths Lake, about 3 hours north of Sydney and 30 minutes south of Forster.
The shopping village consists of a butcher (famous for its German sausages!), a bottle shop, a bakery, a convenience store, a beauty salon, a Café and Take away shop and a Real Estate agency. Down at the Lake is the well known 'Frothy Coffee Cafe'.

A golf course is located on the way to beautiful Cellito Beach. Cellito Beach is a natural beauty that is accessed by a short boardwalk through rainforest. Blueys, Elizabeth and Boomerang Beaches, as well as Seal Rocks are short drives from Vainui.