Beaches, Sydney

James Cook was the first European to step ashore on the shores of Botany Bay in 1770..
Today, Botany Bay is still the place where thousands of visitors and new settlers land at Sydney Airport on a long runway which extends into the Bay.

On weekends yachts, sailing boats, wind surfers and fishing boats enjoy Botany Bay.
Swim or picnic at the bayside parks and baths of Brighton-Le-Sands, Ramsgate and Dolls Point.
Cycle or walk along the beach, and enjoy sidewalk dining or picnics beneath the trees in Cook Park.
Dolls point is a lovely beach, and just a few seconds from where I was staying.

Heading further south along the coast, you come to Cronulla.
Cronulla is situated 26 km by road, 35 km by suburban train south of Sydney. It is on the shores of Bate Bay a small indentation of the Pacific Ocean.
Cronulla is part of Sutherland Shire, one of the forty Local Government Areas of Metropolitan Sydney.

Just one of the many activities you see people enjoying at Dolls Point.
This particular day was incredibly windy, and these were the only people we saw out there, besides us ofcoarse.. and we stayed only a few minutes..
A few days later the winds become a big problem in the Sydney area, causing widespread damge and a fatality.

The Beaches of Cronulla, North to South ... Wanda, Elouera, North Cronulla and Cronulla.
This town sure is beautiful, and a holiday destination in it's own right.
It gives the impression of being a lovely seaside resort, not huge by any means, and the beaches are suitable for many varied watersports, especially surfing and body boarding.
I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine a young 'Elle' sunbathing on these beaches.

To be honest, I'm not sure what this beach is like right down on it, but from up above it sure looked lovely. I was with a friend who was have a practice at the Mosman Neutral Bay Rifle Range, and went to look out at the view from up there. I was amazed to see this lovely beach.

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Bondi iBeach is the place for sun, fun and surf. It's afmous for its white sand beach and breaking surf. The beach area is full of shops, restuarants and a bustle of activity.

Bondi Beach was a must on my to do list of sights. So one morning we woke up early and hoped on a bus to Circular Quay. We hopped on the 380 bus that would take us to Bondi Junction. The ride was smooth and quick about 15 minutes. It provided a nice sightseeing experience before we got to the beach area.

We started our adventure by checking out some of the local shops and buying a beach towel. We then too a walk along the beach to find our perfect spot in the sand. We visited during the week so it wasn't very crowded. There were a few tourists, surfers and a camera crew filming a commercial. As Chris enjoyed laying out on the sand I took a dip in the ocean. The water was a beautiful blue, not too cold but very salty. It was a fun day lounging out on the beach and enjoying this fabulous place with my Christopher.

Obelisk Beach is another legal nude beach on Sydney Harbour. Follow the same directions as for Cobbler's Beach but park either in the same lot or another lot closer to the trailhead to Obelisk-on the right side as you drive down the road to Middle Head oval. I've included a photo of the sign you will see. This beach is almost always guys only I am told. The day I stopped by I would guess there were 20 or so guys and one girl. Everyone was nude. A lot of small boats anchored just offshore.

Lady Bay Beach (sometimes called Lady Jane Beach) is yet another legal nude beach on Sydney Harbour. It was officially designated a nudist beach in the 70's and is one of the first in Australia. This beach is on the south side of the harbour within a short walk of the trendy Watson's Bay with it's famous Doyle"s Seafood Restaurant. The day I visited, the crowd was more mixed than Obelisk (some Spanish backpacker girls were there) but less mixed than Cobbler's. 90% nude. This beach reminded me a little of Baker Beach in San Francisco not for the beach itself certainly, but for the harbor views and large ships coming and going to sea very close to the sand. The beach itself is disappointing, as there is very little sand and when big ships do go by at high tide, the waves wash up to the rocks. There are not many places to put down your towel that the sand is not damp. Access by bus from Bondi Junction to Watsons Bay. Then walk about 10-15 minutes through the national park walking track to South head. The stairs to Lady Jane will be seen on the left. I included the sign so you can find it easily. Multiple bus routes run to Bondi Junction from the city center. The Junction has a couple of large indoor shopping centers with food courts and a large Borders, the American bookseller. A perfect way to wrap up the afternoon apres beach.
Sydney Buses: www.sydneybuses.nsw.gov.au Telephone: 131 500

This is a 30-minute walk over the cliffs. It is just so relaxing! You walk by the sea so the view is really nice.
I've done this at night too, many people were walking their dogs and jogging.
Bronte beach is my favourite! Small but beautiful. Not very crowded.
There are shelters where you can have a picnic and electric grills that run with coins.
It was really nice to see how many Australian families go there for a picnic during the week! Not just at the weekend.

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After visiting Botany Bay National Park we drove down to Cape Solander to admire the views from the cliffs. The views here really are breathtaking; almost as if you are standing on the edge of the world when you are on the cliff tops. I can only imagine how Captain Cook and the crew of the Endeavour felt when they sailed by these large, imposing cliffs.

Be careful through when exploring. The cliffs are high up with no fence to protect you from a fall. The tops of the cliffs have an uneven, rocky surface that can make walking quite treacherous. We even discovered a smashed up car lying on the bottom of one of the cliffs with the pounding surf smashing into the metal.