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Beaches and Beachside Suburbs
Located at the tip of the Barrenjoey Peninsula, Palm Beach was once a haven for fringe-dwellers. These days, multi-million dollar mansions of the rich and famous line the ridge over one of Sydney's most busy (on weekends) and prestigious beaches. Devotees of the TV soap, Home And Away, will recognise Palm Beach as Summer Bay.
A popular, relaxed surf beach favoured by visitors, thanks to the backpacker hostel, cinema, shops and cafe society established around the beach. Surf is good at the northern end; there is a rock pool at the southern end. Whale Beach is one of Sydney's cleanest surf beaches, its consistently great waves draws surfers from all over Sydney.
Good facilities and easy access to its sweeping ribbon of sand makes Newport Beach a very popular weekend destination for swimmers and surfers. An ocean pool caters for children at the southern end. A coastal walkway extends along the far northern beaches and this is the best place to park and access it.
The southern section of Colloroy's 3 km long stretch of open beach has a sheltered rock pool, including a pool for children. Its facilities and ease of access by both car and public transport make this former camping area a popular destination for north shore beachgoers.
North Narrabeen has a reputation for having the most consistent waves of any Sydney beach and is therefore considered somewhat of a surfer's mecca. It has the feel of a rural holiday resort thanks to the caravan park behind the beach. Conditions are milder and safer in the south though the north is more challenging for the serious surfer.
Its broad expanse of clean sand and reputation as one of the safest of Sydney's northern beaches has contributed greatly to this beach's extreme popularity. Fortunately, the strip of sand is wide and backed by a variety of facilities for both surfers and families alike, as well as a vibrant cafe and restaurant strip.
Pittwater is a wide inlet to the south of Broken Bay and the entrance of the Hawkesbury River into it. Located some 30 kms north of Sydney, it is a boatowner's paradise. The suburbs built on its shores are all fashionable residential areas which benefit from expansive views towards Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park on its eastern shore and the inlet's calm waters.
Manly's 1.5km beach, incorporating Manly, North Steyne & Queenscliff beaches, is a wide strip of clean sand with good surf. The plethora of hotels, restaurants, cafes, nightlife and other attractions beyond the beach are a bonus. Catch the ferry to Manly. The sport of surfing was introduced to Australia at Freshwater Beach in 1915.
The centre of a busy social scene with its high class restaurants and expensive yachts, Balmoral is very much the beach to be seen at on the North Shore. With a 1920s beachfront promenade a-la-Bondi featuring a bathers pavilion, boardwalk, bridges and rotunda, everything but ample parking is laid on for the beachgoer's pleasure.
Australia's most famous beach, Bondi has a broad crescent shaped strip of golden sand backed by an equally famous pavilion and boardwalk. All are a stone's throw away from a dazzling array of trendy restaurants, cafes and hotels. All in all, great food, great surf, great atmosphere, and one of Australia's most iconic localities.
A tiny, intimate bay with a reputation as the beach where the beautiful people go. Due to the shape of Tamarama Bay, rips are not uncommon and the surf can be quite challenging. The beach is backed by a small park. Nearby Mackenzies Bay is somewhat milder as well as dog friendly.
A small but popular sheltered beach at the head of a narrow cove. A saltwater pool is situated on the southern shore of Clovelly Bay. The bay is home to one of the first surf lifesaving clubs in the world, Clovelly Surf Life Saving Club, which was founded in 1906. Clovelly is located 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district.
One of Sydney's most popular beaches which is always buzzing with life, particularly on weekends. Nearby is the Mcivers Ladies Baths and the ocean pool Wylie's Baths. Beyond the beach is a fabulous array of shops, hotels and eating places. The bay is sheltered from the roughest seas by Wedding Cake Island, a rocky reef about 800m offshore.
There's something for everyone at Bronte Beach - great surf, an ocean pool, a small area enclosed by rocks that is perfect for families, not to mention all the creature comforts of a great picnic area. Bronte is located on Nelson Bay midway along the coastal walk between Bondi and Coogee. Bronte Falls are a short walk from the beach.
Not one of the tourist haunts, Maroubra is nonetheless a popular beach for surfers which also offers plenty of space for families. The swell is milder than at this beach's northerly neighbours though it can get quite rough at the north end. Protected swimming is available at Mahon Pool in the north and a children's pool in the south.
Peaceful is the best word to describe this isolated beach located behind Prince Henry Hospital. It is surrounded by golf courses and the swell in the bay itself is little more than a gentle rise and fall. The bay's two strips of sand are recognised as the safest of all of Sydney's ocean beaches. A number of coastal walks begin here.
There are a number of beaches on and around the La Perouse peninsula at the head of Botany Bay. Though the Kurnell Refinery is visible across the bay and Botany's port and industrial area is just around the corner, the low-surf Congwong Bay, like its neighbour, Little Congwong Bay, is sufficiently secluded to not be affected by its location.
Lady Robinsons Beach is the strip of beach on the western shore of Botany Bay beyond Sydney Airport. Its name recalls the wife of a Governor of NSW during the 1870s who used to ride her horse here. A cycleway connects Kyeemagh at the northern end with Sandringham in the south.
Located on the eastern shore of Botany Bay, Silver Beach is well worth the 8-km trip from Cronulla, in spite of its close proximity to the Kurnell oil refinery and airport runways across the bay. With ideal conditions for sailboarding, it was at Silver Beach that Captain Cook had his first encounter with the local Aborigines.
A great destination for a day out, particularly in summer. Surfers looking for good waves but less crowds find Cronulla fits the bill perfectly. If surfing is not your scene, Cronulla has other alternatives on offer. Ferries regularly depart from a wharf on Gunnamatta Bay to Bundeena in Royal National Park or for a leisurely cruise around Port Hacking.
Bundeena is an ideal starting place for walks through the Royal National Park via the walking trails to Marley Beach and Burning Palms. Hordens Beach is located alongside the village centre of Bundeena next to the wharf so it is a popular destination of many visitors arriving by ferry from Cronulla.