Sydney Harbour Beaches
It is perhaps a blessing that Parsley Bay is overshadowed by its more famous neighbour, Watsons Bay, as this picturesque corner of Sydney Harbour is a quiet haven for those lucky enough to know of its existence and have discovered its tranquility. Though the least frequented, it is as attractive as any other bay on the South Head peninsula, and the perfect place for children to take a dip in its sheltered waters or fossick for shells and crabs on the rocks while the adults laze away the afternoon under the Moreton Bay fig trees.
A small and sheltered corner of Port Jackson, Little Sirius Cove is reached by taking the Taronga Zoo ferry and taking the path to the left on arrival. Follow the narrow ribbon of bushland outside the zoo, then down some steps to Whiting Beach. Further on is Sirius Cove Reserve on Little Sirius Cove. It has a sandy beach and has a few sets of steps which go down to the water. It has shaded grassed areas, toilets and picnic tables and offers good harbour views. The beach is relatively safe to swim in under normal to calm conditions.
The very picturesque Chowder Bay is one of those harbour bays with everything. There is a wharf, enclosed baths, change rooms, childrens playground, lots of grass, picnic tables and several places to buy food. When the picnic lunch is over, there's bushland to wander through, or you can go fishing or snorkeling in the clear water. And if that is not enough, there's the extensive George Head fortifications to explore next door.
A great swimming spot on Port Hacking. There is plenty of activity around you, with boats passing, fishers (from the end of the jetty) and divers doing their thing. It is the cleanest of the three Port Hacking netted baths due to the main channel virtually flowing through the baths. It gets a Beachwatch yearly rating of 'Good'. There are changing rooms and toilets just above the baths. Nearby, the 800 metre Lilli Pilli Track is an easy walking track along the headland that opens up to some amazing views and river access. Location: Lilli Pilli Point Rd, Lilli Pilli.
According to maps, there are no beaches on Mosman Bay, but if you take a walk through Harnett Park on the bay's foreshore, you will come across a small stretch of sand where young children can enjoy a paddle in the waters of the ba. Mosman Bay is one of the nicest bays in Sydney Harbour. It provides a deep and sheltered cove for numerous boats. In 1789, HMS Sirius was careened at Mosman Bay, also known by some as Great Sirius Cove. Since then, Mosman Bay has been associated in the history books and the minds of locals with Australia's maritime legacy. Public transport: ferry to Mosman Bay.
Landlocked behind private properties (only the sand itself is public land), this beach on Felix Bay is in the middle of million dollar properties. It is little used other than by locals because of its isolation. Access is via a laneway from Wolesley Road. No facilities.
Though just next door to Murray Rose Pool, this beach is quieter because the land behind it is all private property and the only public access is from Redleaf Pool. Facilities: toilets, showers, shaded grassed area, shops and restaurants nearby. Public transport: Bus No. 323, 324, 325, L24 from Circular Quay. Alight at Cnr New South Head and Victoria Rds.
Situated in the beautiful Double Bay precinct, Redleaf Beach is another of those idyllic Sydney harbourside beaches you just want to visit. Murray Rose Pool (formerly Redleaf Pool), can be found at the western end of the beach and provides swimmers with a safe harbourside tidal enclosure to swim in. With a swimming area of approximately 90 metres x 60 metres, even on a busy day there is no shortage of swimming space.
Lucretia Baths is one of the old-style harbour swimming spots where the likes of tennis great John Newcombe and pioneer aviator Charles Kingsford Smith used to cool off during the summer months long before they attained fame. The pool is protected by a wooden slatted fence to keep the sharks out, something you rarely see these days that makes this place a bit of a nostalgic treat. From the narrow boardwalkyou can catch a glimpse of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The baths don't have toilets, showers or even a cafe nearby, though the Lane Cove cafe strip is not far away. Location: Dunois Reserve, Dunois Street, Longueville.
Watsons Bay has a large harbourside beach with views up the harbour to the city. The beach is next to Robertson Park, a sizeable grassed area, making it the perfect place for a picnic lunch. There is plenty of space and facilities, with picnic tables, toilets and a childrens playground. After lunch you can take a walk to South Head or view the rugged coastal scenery.
Just a short walk from Watsons Bay ferry wharf, wheelchair-accessible Camp Cove boasts millionaire views that are hard to miss. Nestled on the harbour side of South Head, this delightful beach is packed with family fun options. The kids will love swimming and snorkelling in the calm waters while you relax on the sandy beach, and there is a kiosk right on the beach. From Camp Cove it is an easy walk to South Head and Hornby lighthouse.
A hugely popular and very busy beach alongside Manly Wharf, Manly Cove on North Harbour is just a stone's throw from The Corso and Manly's many restaurants, cafes and hotels. The cove is the starting point for the Manly to Spit Scenic Walkway, a 7 km pathway around the northern shores of Middle and North Harbour.
This picturesque and somwhat hidden bay is a great beach to escape to if Manly Cove gets too busy. It was here that Gov Arthur Phillip was speared by an aborigine in 1790. Collins Beach lies at the far northern end of the cove. A spring in the hills behind feeds a creek that tumbles over a small waterfall onto the sand.
Located on a thin ribbon of bushland through which the Spit to Manly Scenic Walkway passes, it is thus named after a haul of 40 baskets of fish by local fishermen in 1885 which were given to a contingent of soldiers quarantined at North Head returning from war in the Sudan. Being off the main drag, it is a quiet beach with a very low swell. Pleasant view across North Harbour to Manly. Location: Gourlay Avenue, Balgowlah Heights.
A beautiful tidal swimming pool located in picturesque Sailor's Bay, Northbridge. Created in 1923 to provide protection for swimmers against sharks, the beach was actually formed by sand brought from Clontarf in several punt loads. Fish often join the swimmers when the water is pleasantly warm. The Baths are equipped with a BBQ and picnic area, change rooms, toilets, hot showers and parking. Location: Widgiewa Road, Northbridge.
The middle to upper reaches of Middle Harbour don't see anywhere near the boating traffic that other parts of the harbour see, so bays like this one are never busy. Not only that, Flat Rock Bay has no vehicular access, and so the only people who come here are boaties and bushwalkers who have to scale a steep walking track to reach the water. This means that, outside of weekends and school holidays, visitors to this serene corner of the harbour generally have the place to themselves.
Surrounded by restaurants, beautiful houses and expensive yachts, Balmoral is the most popular beach on Middle Harbour. It has been a favourite place for family picnics and dining al fresco at one of the many cafes for years. The entire beach is listed on the Register of the National Estate. The conservation area includes the promenade, the esplanade, the Rotunda and the Bathers' Pavilion, which date back to the 1930s.
Brdleys Head offers panoramic views across Sydney Harbour. The fortifications here are the best preserved of all those to be found around the shores of Sydney Harbour. There are picnic facilities on the upper and lower levels. The beach is quite small, so you'll need to get there early if coming for a swim on weekends in the summer months. The nearby beaches on Athol Bay give views across the harbour to the city skyline.
A well used family recreational area which, in 1975, became one of the first inclusions in the Sydney Harbour National Park. The rocky headlands on either side of the beach have historic significance. There is a lovely restaurant overlooking the beach on Shark Bay. It is a spectacular spot to have breakfast or lunch and the attached cafe/kiosk. In summer it is very popular, so you'll need to arrive early to get a parking spot.
This quiet, sheltered inlet on Middle Harbour was the favoured Government choice in the 1860s for the mooring of powder hulks containing explosives, hence its name. These days it is a mooring place for pleasure craft at Seaforth Sailing Club and home to Sangrado Pool and Park. The park is a preserved pocket of rainforest in the valley of a small creek that flows over a pretty waterfall here. Location: Sangrado Street, Seaforth.
The Hermitage Foreshore Reserve is a strip of Rose Bay foreshore land from Bayview Hill Road to Nielsen Park that was resumed in May, 1912 and added to the Sydney Harbour National Park, November 1983. As well as offering a pleasant harbourise bushwalk, the reserve features three small sandy beach with picture-postcard views of the city skyline. Queens Beach is small, isolated beach; Milk Beach is is slightly larger than Queens but similarly breathtaking and a favourite backdrop for wedding photography; Hermit Bay is one of the tiniest but loveliest beaches in Sydney.
Castle Rock Beach is one of a number of wonderful, isolated little beaches scattered around the shores of Port Jackson that very few people know about. It is named for a large rock on the beach which is said to resemble a castle. Behind this little ribbon of beach is a small waterfall which pours a stream of fresh water onto the sand at the foot of the rocky hillside. Location: Ogilvie Street, Balgowlah
The most secluded beach on Sydney Harbour, Whiting Beach is reached by taking the Taronga Zoo ferry and taking the path to the left on arrival. Follow the narrow ribbon of bushland outside the zoo, then down some steps to Whiting Beach. Look carefully and you can see a few examples of Aboriginal rock art. Further on the track is Sirius Cove Reserve on Little Sirius Cove. Public transport: ferry to Taronga Zoo.
Burns Bay is one of a number of tranquil bays on the Lane Cove River. This reserve, at the bay's head, has a sewerage aqueduct across it, which somewhat spoils the view. Behind it is a soccer field (Burns Bay Oval) backed by a pleasant shaded park area alongside Tannery Creek (also known as Burns Bay Creek). As the valley narrows, a walking trail leads into the upper section of the valley and what must be one of the most picturesque bushland reserves in the Sydney suburban area. The walking trails follow the creek through Tennyson Park, emerging on River Road. Location: Koorong Road, Riverview.
Public transport: train to Chatswood, bus No. 532, alight at Riverview St, Riverview.