Beaches in New South Wales, Australia

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Sydney Beaches

Bondi Beach is the icon of the australian surfing beaches, perhaps not the prettiest one but among all the most popular with locals as well as with visitors, attracting visitors from all over the world. Bondi is not only a beach, it represents the utmost celebrated Australian outdoor lifestyle. Here all types of water sports and leisure activities are offered from surfing, swimming, snorkelling, sun-bathing, you name it.

If you are planning to spend just a few days visiting Sydney you cannot miss out on a day out to Bondi Beach. Especially if you experience the ocean waves, Bondi offers surfing lessons for all ages, and safe swimming on life-guarded beaches.

How to get to Bondi

It's only a short drive by car or you can reach it by train or by bus from the city centre. If you enjoy walking there are a couple of beautiful scenic coastal walks, which link Bondi with its neighbouring beach resorts.

I would recommend starting in Bronte heading north to Bondi beach, but you can choose which way you prefer to start your walk, from Bondi heading south or viceversa. If you start from Bronte beach, you will head north for Bondi along the sandstone cliffs from which you will enjoy spectacula view. Make your first stop at Tamarama beach, a nice little beach less crowded, from there you walk further Hawkesbury see the aboriginal rock carving in Marks Park and proceed to Mackenzie'spoint, a beautiful look out poin from which you will see your final destinaton, Bondi beach. This coastal walk is very popular especially on weekends with lots of joggers, cyclists, roller bladers and skaters, so it is worth a visit during the week to fully enjoy the scenery and its peacefulness.

Or you can also try a longer walk from Bondi-Cogee scenic cliff walk or if you prefer starting in Cogee. From there you can walk along the coastal path up to Bronte beach, make a coffe break there and then keep walking up to Bondi beach. You can reach Cogee from the city by bus no. 372. Find out more about Bondi

Cronulla beach, Sydney

If you wish to take a day out visit the outskirts of Sydney, a good idea is to visit the Royal National Park. Take the train to Cronulla beach and from there the ferry over to Bundeena. From Bundeena you can start different beautiful walks in the National Park, among these the Bundeena-Maianbar Heritage Walk maybe the most known. From the visitor centre, a tiny little place right up the hill when you get off the ferry, you can get an useful map with details of the major walks in Bundeena and in the Royal NP.

Cronulla is another popular Sydney beach, known for the excellent waves to suit all kind of surfer experience from beginner to expert level.

Cronulla beach is also known for other sport activities like kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving to view marine life. If you wish to stay overnight a good entertainment and a rich night life programm is provided. Check out the listings of festivals and food & wine parties for great fun!

Manly Beach, Sydney

One of the most known northern Sydney beaches is certainly Manly Beach, very popular among tourist as well as among Australians. Ideal destination for a day tour. To reach Manly you can either catch the ferry from the Quay for a really scenic trip to Manly to then return to the city by a sepctacular sunset: make sure you have your camera with you to snap fantastic pictures of the Harbour Bridge and of the Sydney Opera. Or you can do the beautiful coastal walk from Spit Bridge to Manly through native bushland.

Manly is a wonderful combination of casual, laid-back environment and trendy scene, with a good offer for stylish shopping and sophisticated dining. Around the plaza concentrate a variety of places to eat and drink to suit all tastes. On weekends there is an outdoor Arts and Craft Market, close to the promenade, where visitors can find a vast choice of hand-crafted items. Lean more about Manly

The Northern Beaches of Sydney

The beaches that line the north coast of Sydney, also called by many people from Sydney the "Insular Peninsula", with beautiful villa locations which make of the northern coast of Sydney one of the most exclusive residential areas of Australia. And if you have the luck of ending up living there you may not be tempt to leave it again! Really worth a visit!

It is ideal for an day out visit, you can either catch a 190 bus from Wynyard Station in the city. The best way to visit this area is hiring a car and stop whenever you wish for a swim, a stroll along the beach, for eating and shopping and maybe stop somewhere to stay overnight.

On your journey you will make several stops to see pretty beaches like Dee Why, Collaroy , Narrabeen Beach, Mona Vale, Newport, Avalon Beach which offers excellent dining and shopping venues, up to the northern part with the lovely Bilgola Beach and the gorgeous Whale Beach (my favorite one!) to finally reach Palm Beach.

Among all the northern beches Palm Beach is certainly the most known, because of many vips living there, and its trendy setting. But it may disappoint you, in my opinion it is not as spectacular as you may expect though!

Here a couple of pictures of Whale Beach:

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