Sydney Beaches
Bondi Beach is the most famous beach in Sydney, however there are many other beautiful beaches in the Sydney area, each with their own identity and their own charm.
The secret beaches of Sydney offer a more secluded and casual environment than busy Bondi Beach, reflecting a different side of Sydney, Australia. This website serves as a great beach guide for tourists, and will give you a snapshot view of Sydney's best beaches and surf conditions.
Sydney enjoys fantastic weather nearly all year round, making it a great tourist destination for those who enjoy the beach, Warm and sunny on average in the summer and usually only a handful of cold winter months. The beautiful beaches of Sydney are a winner with both surfers looking for the perfect wave, those who just want to sit in the sun and enjoy the view and families with children as many of the beaches have parks, picnic areas and barbeque facilities.
 | Beach safety is something tourists should keep in mind when visiting Sydney, Australia, as they are often unaware of the tides and currents that can present a potential danger. Make sure you swim between the red and yellow flags on patrolled beaches so that Life saving clubs in Sydney can keep an eye out on you. |
| • Photos of Sydney Northern Beaches | • Photos of Sydney Southern Beaches |
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Beaches north of Sydney Harbour includes:
Manly Beach, South Styne, North Styne Beach, Queenscliff Beach, Fresh Water Beach, Curl Curl Beach, Dee Why Beach, Long Reef Beach, Collaroy Beach, Narrabeen Beach, Bird Wood Park Beach, Turimetta Beach, Warriewood Beach, Mona Vale Beach, Bungan Beach, New Port Beach, Bigola Beach, Avalon Beach,Whale Beach, Palm Beach.
• Manly Beach
Manly Beach is one of Sydney’s favourite beaches, with tourists and locals able to enjoy kayaking, swimming, tennis, beach volleyball, rollerblading, scenic walks and scuba diving. One of area’s longest and most beautiful ocean stretches, Manly Beach is the gateway to the northern beaches of Sydney.
• South Styne
South Styne Beach is part of Manly Beach and the sand glistens as gold as its visitors. South Styne is far quieter and more accessible than Manly Beach and is primarily used by locals. Boasting a contemporary Art Deco surf club, swimmers are cautioned to stay between the flags as tidal rips and surfing conditions are often dangerous.
• North Styne Beach
A great beach to learn to surf, North Styne Beach is one of the best surfing beaches in Sydney. Visitors may want to visit the surf shop just opposite the North Styne Surf Club which runs surfing lessons and courses for beginners wanting to learn to surf.
• Queenscliff Beach
Queenscliff Beach is part of Sydney’s Northern Beaches and is about one mile with sand as golden as its visitors and has a large foreshore.
• Freshwater Beach
Freshwater Beach is a beautiful spot north of Manly on the Peninsular. Flanked at either side by a headland, it is a favourite beach with surfers and can produce excellent surf conditions. It is the spot where surfing was officially introduced to Australians by Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku. There is a large rock pool at the northern end and lifeguards patrol the water.
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| One of Sydney’s Experiences |
• Curl Curl Beach
Curl Curl Beach is the best beach to surf in Sydney, well known in the surfing community for its consistently large waves. One of Sydney’s northern beaches, Curl Curl is located between Freshwater and Dee Why beach north of Manly. With saltwater pools at both the North and South ends of the beach, the beach is popular with swimmers who may wish to escape currents and tidal rips.
• Dee Why Beach
Dee Why Beach is a stone’s throw north of Manly Beach, and while it is not as well known internationally as Bondi, it is a great place to visit for families with a lively atmosphere of street side restaurants and cafes. The promenade is popular in both the day and night time, and there is a grass picnic stretch for those that want to bring a packed lunch. Like many of Sydney’s beaches, Dee Why Beach is not directly on a train line, however there are plenty of Sydney buses travelling to and from the location. The Dee Why Beach is good for surfing, however the rips can prove hazardous.
• Collaroy Beach
Collaroy is one of the most popular beaches with tourists and locals. A lively spot, Collaroy Beach is popular for the sun, surf and sand, not to mention the great restaurants and shopping. It is the second longest running beach at approximately 3.2km south finishing an arch shape at the Collaroy baths.
• Narrabeen Beach
Narrabeen Beach is one of Sydney’s northern beaches and is 23km in distance from Sydney’s CBD. North Narrabeen, Narrabeen, South Narrabeen and Collaroy beach are all located on this stretch of beach. Narrabeen has a surf life saving club and also a lagoon. It is a widely regarded beach with locals as the beach with the best surfing breaks in Sydney.
| • Map of Sydney Northern Beaches |
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• Turimetta Beach
Turimetta Beach Sydney is one of Sydney’s smaller unpatrolled beaches with good swimming and body surfing conditions. The north end offers excellent surfing conditions.
• Warriewood Beach
Warriewood Beach is approximately 500m in length and meets the rocks at the base of Turimetta Beach. The beach offers good swimming and body surfing as well as excellent surfing conditions. The rock pools make the area a delight to visit and an on site picnic area and playground makes the beach a great afternoon visit. There are also toilet facilities located on site.
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• Mona Vale Beach
Mona Vale Beach is a popular destination for families, with a playground and barbecue facilities open to the public. For swimmers cautious of the beach’s frequent rips, Mona Vale Beach there is a 33m lap pool. One of the best beaches for kids in Sydney, Mona Vale also has a children’s pool, with lifeguards only patrolling the beach during certain times of the year.
• Bungan Beach
Bungan Beach is one of the secret beaches of Sydney. Access to the beautiful secluded spot is only possible by two steep walkways. With a population of some 4 million (not including tourists), at any given time of year, you are unlikely to find more than 20 people on the rugged beach.
• Newport Beach
Newport Beach is one of the finest beaches in the Sydney Area and caters to every age group. There is a children’s playground and barbecue facilities available making the beach the best picnic spot of Sydney. A popular beach during summer, Newport Beach also boasts a strip of cares and restaurants as well as the historical Newport Arms Hotel.
• Avalon Beach
Avalon Beach is a natural hub for animals and wildlife. The beach houses a few of the region’s remaining koalas who have struggled to keep up with Sydney’s rapid pace of development. It is a perfect spot for swimming, surfing, windsurfing and fishing. Another attraction is the rock pool at the southern end of the beach, and when the summer sun hits locals too hard, the shady park area with barbecue facilities provides a good retreat.
• Whale Beach
Given its name because of the shape of the northern headland, Whale Beach faces east to the ocean. Often considered one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, or at the very least – the most beautiful on the Pittwater Peninsula – the location is a great spot for surfers and a perfect holiday venue.
• Palm Beach
Palm Beach is the jewel of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, located just under an hour’s drive from the Opera House and CBD. A must see beach of Sydney.
• Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is famous for being one of the best beaches in Sydney, Australia. This pristine stretch of sand is favourite spot for thousands of tourists and locals that visit every year. Backed with a lively promenade of restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs – Bondi is a favourite spot for tourism in Sydney. Plenty of family fun as well, with parks, playgrounds, incredible coastal walks and patrolled areas to swim in.
• Tamarama Beach
When it comes to beaches and surfing in Sydney, make sure you visit Tamarama on your travels. While it is relatively small in size, its one of a kind beauty sets it apart as one of the most scenic beaches in Sydney, with rocky cliffs surrounding the coastline. Tamarama is an ocean surf beach, with access to its shores by car, bus or walking.
| • Scenic beaches in Sydney |
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• Bronte Beach
One of the top beaches in Sydney, Australia, Bronte Beach is equipped with barbecue facilities making it popular with families. A pretty and green beach, Bronte is more popular with locals than tourists and has kept this untouched charm. It is easy to access by public transport or car and is the perfect spot for an outdoor party of sports event.
• Clovelly Beach
This unusually shaped beach stretches deeply inward to the shoreline. It is the best beach in Sydney for children as swimming is very shallow and calm. There is also a pool located in the cemented pavement if the water is too rough. Clovelly Beach is a popular spot for fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving.
| • Why not try a new Sydney Experience |
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| by Storm Crypt @ flickr.com |
• Coogee Beach
Coogee Beach is one of the more intimate of beaches in Sydney, however, summertime can see the sand fill up with visitors. With less of a high profile than Bondi, at times you can be almost alone on Coogee Beach and it is sometimes used as a nudist beach in Sydney.
• Maroubra Beach
Maroubra is located in Sydney’s south east side, 10km from the CBD. Maroubra is an Aboriginal term for ‘thunder’, and with the strip of sand a popular destination for surfing fanatics, it isn’t hard to understand how it got its name. There are also two surf life saving clubs and a skate park on site, as well as Maroubra Junction for those who don’t like surfing and prefer to shop.
• Malabar Beach
Malabar is a protected beach and while it does not have a surf life saving club, it is patrolled by lifeguards. Malabar is a coastal suburb located near Long Bay, 12km from Sydney’s CBD.
• Little Bay
One of the most protected beaches in Sydney, Little Bay is what locals like to call their best kept secret. It is an unpatrolled beach, however it is set apart by its beauty with hanging rock ledges for shade and is great for kids and dogs.
• How to get to Bondi Beach
The beaches of Cronulla includes:
Boat Harbour Beach, Green Hills Beach, Wanda Beach, Elouera Beach, North Cronulla Beach, South Cronulla Beach, Shelly Beach, Oak Park Beach
Cronulla has a diverse range of beaches and is a popular destination for both tourists and locals alike. In the north, the beaches are sandy and for general beach fun and swimming in surf. South of Cronulla, the shoreline is rocky sandstone and swimming is restricted to ocean baths alone. The Cronulla coastline offers some of the best surf in Sydney, with spots like Shark Island, The Point, The Alley and Voodoo Reef popular for waves. The beaches in the region also offer spectacular walks, whale watching, fishing, volleyball and just lazing around on the unspoilt pristine sand.
Manly Cove and Balmoral are the most popular of Sydney’s inner beaches, attracting surf in both the summer and winter months. This is largely due to their proximity to the mouth of the harbour.
List of all Sydney Inner Harbours and Beaches
Balmoral Beach, Clontarf, Little Manly Beach, North Head Quarantine Station Beach, Lady Jane Beach, Camp Cove, Nielsen Park, Clifton Gardens, Chinamans Beach, Washaway Beach, Obelisk Beach, Edwards Beach.
Sydney’s favourite surf beach in Australia is definitely Bondi Beach, however the best places to surf around Sydney includes, Whale Beach, Avalon, Newport, North Narrabeen, Dee Why Point, Curl Curl , Manly ,Bondi and Cronulla. ...
• Lady Jane
While it might not be the best spot to take the family for a picnic, others have found Lady Jane’s beach a great spot ... for nudity! Thought to be Australia’s oldest nude beach, it is commonly referred to as Lady Bay Beach. This secluded beach spot can be reached after a short stroll through national parklands. Bordered by a rocky cliff face, Lady Jane’s beach is smaller than most Sydney beaches and can get a little crowded in the warmer months! The strip of sand attracts tourists and locals from all walks of life, however, if you are too modest to roam free – it’s no problem to keep your bathers on.
• Obelisk
Obelisk Beach is in Sydney Harbour National Park on the Middle Head peninsula. While it is another of Sydney’s ‘free’ nudist beaches, visitors who wish to remain clothed are not discouraged from doing so.
Australian Beach Culture and History
The beach in Sydney isn’t so much a tourist destination as it is a way of life. Tourists and locals can be found embracing the close to perfect weather conditions on Sydney’s beaches and surfers are on the constant look out for the perfect wave. Surf conditions at Sydney’s northern beaches are the better than the south, however most beaches are good for both swimming and surfing. The beautiful scenic beaches in Sydney are not hard to come by, with every beach offering a unique kind of treasure.
Safety tips for visitors at Australian beaches would be to always swim between the flags at patrolled beaches so as not to get caught up in the dangerous rips and currents.
List of all Sydney Ocean Beaches
Palm Beach, Whale Beach, Avalon, Bilgola, Newport, Bungan, Mona Vale, Warriewood, Turimetta, North Narrabeen, Narrabeen, Collaroy, Fishermans, Long Reef, Dee Why, North Curl Beach, Curl Curl, Freshwater, Queenscliff, North Steyne, Manly, Fairy Bower, Shelly Beach, Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, Clovelly, Coogee, Maroubra, Malabar, Little Bay, La Persouse, Phillip Bay, Lady Robinson Beach, Kyeemagh, Brighton-Le-Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate, Sans Souci, Dolls Point, Sandringham, Congwong, Little Congwon, Kurnell, Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla, Cronulla.
