Beaches in Sydney

Bondi Beach is Australia's most famous stretch of sand — a 1 km crescent of golden beach flanked by sandstone headlands. A magnet for surfers, swimmers, and sunbathers, it's also the starting point for the spectacular Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.

Coogee Beach is a family-friendly crescent at the southern terminus of the Bondi to Coogee walk. Protected by Dolphin Point headland, its gentle waves and ocean rock pools make it popular with families and lap swimmers.

Watsons Bay is a tranquil harbourside village at South Head, the northernmost point of Sydney's eastern suburbs. Camp Cove beach offers calm harbour swimming, while the clifftop walk to The Gap and South Head Heritage Trail provides dramatic ocean views.

Manly Beach is a laid-back northern beaches destination reached by a scenic 30-minute ferry from Circular Quay. The 1.5 km ocean beach offers excellent surf, while the sheltered Manly Cove and Shelly Beach provide calm swimming.

Shelly Beach is a sheltered cove just around the headland from Manly Beach, protected as an aquatic reserve. The calm, clear water makes it one of Sydney's best snorkelling spots — blue groper, cuttlefish and wobbegong sharks patrol the underwater boulders.

Bronte Beach is a family-friendly cove with a stunning ocean pool, grassy parkland and the tail end of the Bondi-to-Bronte coastal walk. The park's Norfolk pines and barbecue areas make it a favourite weekend hangout for eastern-suburbs families.