SYDNEY
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beaches
Sydney is famous for its fabulous beaches.
Tucked around the harbor are many sheltered coves with calm water and
sugary sands.
- Less than a 15-minute drive from the city, iconic Bondi Beach beckons with its great surf, café scene, and cosmopolitan vibe.
- For fantastic ocean views, take the coastal walk along the cliffs from Bondi to Coogee. Other ocean beaches include Cronulla (the only one easily accessible by train from the city), Bronte, Tamarama, and Maroubra.
- A 30-minute ferry ride from the city, Manly is a favorite seaside destination with its beachfront promenade, netted ocean pool, and excellent shops and restaurants.
- Further north of the city, surfers will find some fantastic breaks at Collaroy, Dee Why, and Narrabeen.
- Swimmers should stay between the red and yellow flags. Volunteer lifeguards patrol the surfing beaches on the Pacific during the summer and run popular lifesaving competitions.
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- Best Near The City
Those looking for a more peaceful patch of sand can head to the harbor beaches. Calm waters lap these sheltered coves and pretty slices of shoreline, and many offer nearby cafés and idyllic picnic spots. Balmoral Beach and Nielsen Park are favorites.
- Best For Swimming
Swimmers who want to don their cap and goggles for some serious laps can choose from a selection of beachfront ocean pools. For more than a century, the Bondi Baths at Iceberg's has been a famous Sydney swimming spot with a 50-m Olympic pool and a smaller pool for children.
Dating back to 1886, McIver's Baths at Coogee Beach is the only seawater pool in Australia reserved for women. Female swimmers can paddle here in privacy and unwind afterwards with a relaxing massage overlooking the beach, while nearby Wylie's Baths welcomes both men and women. At the southern end of Palm Beach, a 35-m ocean pool is suitable for lap swimming, though children often splash about in the shallow end. The cliff-top pools at Freshwater, Bronte, and Maroubra are also great for a paddle with panoramic views.
Sydney beaches frequently gracing lists for the best water quality include Palm Beach, Whale Beach, and Avalon in the north and Maroubra Beach, in the eastern suburbs, while Nielsen Park is a relatively clean harbor beach.
- Best Surfing Beaches
Beginners will find excellent surf schools particularly at Bondi, Maroubra, Collaroy, and Manly, a 30-minute ferry ride from the city center. Gentle breaks are also often found south of the city at Bronte, while Cronulla combines four popular beaches and is a well-known surfing spot with a multicultural café scene. North of the city, Long Reef is great for beginners in the right conditions, while Palm Beach, Sydney's most northerly stretch of sand and sea, is a top spot to teach the kids.
For advanced surfers, Newport Beach, in Sydney's north, faces east and catches the swell from any direction. About 250 m offshore, a rock formation called "The Peak" creates two breaks making it a hotspot for high-skilled surfers. Dee Why offers a pleasing point break on good days, and North Narrabeen is a local's favorite. Intermediate and advanced surfers seeking an escape from the crowds should consider Garie Beach in the Royal National Park.
- Best for Families
Manly is also a top spot for families. Little ones can swim in the netted ocean pool, visit the Manly SEALIFE Sanctuary filled with fascinating marine creatures, slurp some ice cream, and feast on fresh-cooked fish and chips. Shopping, cafés, and restaurants line the nearby Corso. A short walk from the Corso, Shelly Beach is peaceful spot to paddle in the sheltered bay.
For calm waters and sheltered coves, try one of the harbor beaches such as Nielsen Park, in the eastern suburbs, or Balmoral Beach on the north side of the city where kids can swim in the netted pools and families can enjoy a picnic in the nearby parks. On the south side of the city, Coogee Beach is usually a calm spot to swim with the kids thanks to Wedding Cake Island, which shelters it from the larger swells.
- Best For Fishing
On the south side, Maroubra Beach is a favorite. Anglers here can catch sand whiting, tailor, bream, flathead, and sharks among other species. Depending on the winds, the beaches at Cronulla offer decent fishing, while more remote Garie and Era Beaches in Royal National Park offer good sand gutters in a beautiful bush-fringed setting. Those fishing with children will find Palm Beach Wharf a great spot for casting bait lines.
Anglers fishing off rocky shorelines should take extreme care and avoid fishing alone. Rogue waves are known to sweep unsuspecting anglers away.
- Best Beach Walks
The 10 km Manly to Spit Bridge Coastal Walk is a great way to
soak up some delicious views of the sparkling harbor. Start at the Spit
Bridge and wander around the shoreline to Fisher Bay, Sandy Bay, and
Clontarf Beach then pop into Sydney Harbour National Park. Along
the way, hikers will find sheltered inlets and coves where they can cool
off. From May to November, keep a look out for whales. This
well-signposted scenic walk takes about three to four hours and ends at Manly Beach where weary hikers can hop aboard a ferry back to the city.
A 15-minute bus ride from the city center, the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is a great way to appreciate Sydney's beautiful beaches without venturing too far from the CBD. This 6 km trail clings to the coastal cliffs and meanders past the café strips of Bronte and Coogee where walkers can stop for a snack. The path starts at Bondi Icebergs, the famous swimming club with a celebrated beach-view restaurant. Aboriginal rock carvings await at Marks Park, and during the spring, the beachside gallery, Sculpture by the Sea, is a bonus side-trip along this bluff-top stroll. For a photo souvenir, climb the stairs at Bronte and snap a picture with a panoramic backdrop of the sweeping coastline. From here, continue walking past Clovelly Beach to Coogee.
History and nature buffs will love the Taronga to Balmoral Walk at Headland Park in Mosman. Although this 6 km trail starts at sea level, hikers ascend 90 m to George's Heights, which was once used to defend Sydney from possible attacks. Today, visitors can explore the area's underground tunnels, gun pits, and preserved defence buildings, or snap a photo at the lookout, which offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Sydney Heads, and the city. Along the way, visitors can stop for sustenance at one of the many cafés or enjoy a picnic and swim at Chowder Bay. The walk takes about two hours and ends at Balmoral Beach, a lovely spot for a cool dip.
A 15-minute bus ride from the city center, the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is a great way to appreciate Sydney's beautiful beaches without venturing too far from the CBD. This 6 km trail clings to the coastal cliffs and meanders past the café strips of Bronte and Coogee where walkers can stop for a snack. The path starts at Bondi Icebergs, the famous swimming club with a celebrated beach-view restaurant. Aboriginal rock carvings await at Marks Park, and during the spring, the beachside gallery, Sculpture by the Sea, is a bonus side-trip along this bluff-top stroll. For a photo souvenir, climb the stairs at Bronte and snap a picture with a panoramic backdrop of the sweeping coastline. From here, continue walking past Clovelly Beach to Coogee.
History and nature buffs will love the Taronga to Balmoral Walk at Headland Park in Mosman. Although this 6 km trail starts at sea level, hikers ascend 90 m to George's Heights, which was once used to defend Sydney from possible attacks. Today, visitors can explore the area's underground tunnels, gun pits, and preserved defence buildings, or snap a photo at the lookout, which offers panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Sydney Heads, and the city. Along the way, visitors can stop for sustenance at one of the many cafés or enjoy a picnic and swim at Chowder Bay. The walk takes about two hours and ends at Balmoral Beach, a lovely spot for a cool dip.
Love,
The Dazzling Ladybie
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