Beaches, Sydney

Sydney is a unique city in that you can go into a cosmopolitan and modern city with all it's hectic fast pace madness in the morning to a laid back, slow paced beach in the afternoon with a short drive. There are many beaches that you can visit with most of them looking absolutely great. The most famous of course is Bondi Beach. It can get a bit crowded especially during the summer but it's a really good place to go to. Another good beach to go to is the Manly Beach which is a 30 minute ferry ride away from Circular Quay but is worth the trip.

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Liz is a big beach girl and wanted to see Bondi. We hopped on a bus and went to Bondi Beach. The bus ride was easy and quick. We started our day lounging on the beach. The sand is super fine and soft. It was a bit windy in the morning but that didn't hamper the visit. Liz took a dip in the Pacific as I lounged on the beach. It was great to sit and watch the waves crash, the surfers and the people strolling by. The weather was beautiful and we had a fabulous day.

While there on this first visit we had the experience to watch several Japanese businessmen in full suits walking the beach with their pant legs rolled up. Liz didn't seem to notice them as much as she was enjoying the surf, but the whole scene to me was quite entertaining.

On our second visit the beach was much more crowded as it was fully summer. We took the bus here from Bondi Junction train station for our walk down the shore to Coogee.

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In my trip to Aussie-land I had heard about a nude beach on the outskirts of Sydney Harbour and my son and I took a public bus (#325 I think) to a neighborhood close by, and walked in to the site----This beach does not get total sun until late in the day unless you are out on the rocks which stick out into the water. We were there right after January 1 and there was alot of trash (fireworks, bottles) on the beach. It was mostly guys but everyone was pleasant and we had a short swim and sun on the rocks before taking the ferry back to the Circular Quay and our hotel.

Palm Beach is a northern beachside suburb of Sydney where they film the outdoor location for the Australian soapie "home & away" Palm Beach, then becomes "Summer Bay."

Palm Beach is located at the north tip of the Sydney Northern Beaches Peninsula, 41 kilometres from the Sydney CBD. .
There is a surf club on the south end of the beach and a rock pool.
Barranjoey Lighthouse is a 20-30 minute walk away, offering great views of the Hawkesbury River outlet to the ocean, Broken Bay and the Pittwater. The historic lighthouse, situated on Barranjoey Head is surrounded by an Aquatic Reserve while Barranjoey Head is part of the Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.
The journey here by public bus can take about 1hr 30 mins, depending on the traffic. The scenery on the journey to the end is quite pleasant. Palm Beach is also the area where the rich and famous have homes

Ferries.............http://www.palmbeachferry.com.au/

If using public transport from the Sydney CBD, catch an L90 Palm Beach bus from Lee Street (Railway Square) or Carrington Street (Wynyard).

Avalon Beach is good for body surfing and surfing, also swimming is safe, with the main beach patrolled by surf lifesavers. At the southern end of the beach is a large saltwater pool which is great for children and adults who prefer the calm water. A Playground, picnic facilities, bbq's are located here. It's just a short walk to Avalon village which has cafes, restaurants, cinema and shops.

The beach is bordered by 60m high sandstone cliffs that they do abseiling on.

The beach is an hour's drive from the Sydney city centre. By bus takes at least a quarter hour more.

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Around Long Reef Headland there is a nice pathway that goes around Fisherman's Beach, Long Reef Beach and also the Golf Course there, it's a really nice walk around there and you get some nice views from the top of the headland, if you want to walk the whole path around in a circle it takes about 40 mins, although that's walking at a normal pace.
You can also walk down and at low tide you can walk on the rock platform and look into the rock pools around there, some people also fish off the rock platform. Also at Fisherman's Beach there is a boat ramp if your interested in that, you can swim at this beach as well, but if it's not to your liking you can go around the headland more and swim at Long Reef Beach.
Parking here is not free unless you have a council parking sticker or a pay-n-display sticker (which is available through Warringah Council), but unless your going to come here a lot there's no need for one of those. The parking is Monday to Friday - $5 an hour or $8 all day, Weekends - $25 all day.

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Continuing my personal determination to walk all walks within Sydney Harbour, within the eastern suburbs, Rose Bay follows on from Double Bay.

Rose Bay is the biggest single bay within the Harbour - a wide, relatively flat expanse that is not only home to the ferry, bit also numerous tourist sea planes and the ever-present yacht berths. Interestingly, it's as much an inner-city suburb by the water as anything else - whilst its a couple of kilometres wide, it's hardly geared up for tourism, in spite of its expanse (although narrow) of sands. The road (New South Head Road) runs parallel to the shoreline for most of its length - one side water and beach, the other exclusive private homes. Any semblance of tourist traps (ie cafes, craft shops) are to be found at the eastern end , and more orientated towards locals than tourists. And that is the beauty of Rose Bay - hardly spectacular but still a part of Sydney that is worth visiting.

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Whilst hardly a 'hidden' gem or even 'off the beaten track', Redleaf Pool is one of those places that few Sydneysiders ever get round to visiting. Admittedly, there are more spectacular locations to be found, but nevertheless, to be found 'just round the corner' of Double Bay on the way to Rose Bay, Redleaf Pool, a safe Harbour haven for swimming, is a quiet in a lovely location.

Free access, reached through the grounds of the historic Blackburn Gardens and the Woollahra Library on New South Head Road, Redleaf Pool is a great little find, attracting primarily locals, council staff at lunch (the small and tasteful Woollahra Municipal Offices overlook the bay) and the Sydney Harbour equivalent of swimmers who do laps at their local pool.