| Sydney boasts some 37
spectacular beaches and it goes without saying that many Sydney Beaches attract large
numbers of international, interstate and local visitors who flock to the breathtaking
natural feature of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Sydney Beaches are categorised according to their position
around the Harbour. There are the outer harbour, OCEAN BEACHES
(North Ocean Beaches and South Ocean Beaches) and the Inner HARBOUR BEACHES (North
Harbour Beaches and South Harbour Beaches.
The Ocean Beaches are generally larger and more open to the
elements. They are often windier, with a more robust surf and little natural shade.
The Harbour beaches on the other hand are smaller beaches and because they're sheltered
from the wind and ocean sea swells they're quieter and more relaxing. They also offer
more shelter from the sun.
SYDNEY OCEAN BEACHES
NORTHERN
SYDNEY BEACHES
Sydney's Northern Ocean Beaches start at the Harbour entrance
and continues north to where the beautiful Hawkesbury River enters the Pacific Ocean.
Manly Beach begins the string of exceptional beach that stretch miles to the northernmost
Sydney beach - Palm Beach where many of Sydney's well heeled live or own holiday homes.
Two of the most visited Northern Ocean Facing Beaches are:
  ●
Manly Beach
The Manly ferry will take you from
the city to Manly Cove -- just inside the Harbour entrance. You may chose to stay at
the Manly Cove Beach, visit the Aquarium or Amusement Pier or take a short stroll through
the shopping precinct know as The Corso to the ocean and Manly Beach. Manly was Sydney's
original seaside resort and used the slogan
"only seven miles from
Sydney, but a thousand miles from care" to promote itself.
● Palm Beach
Palm Beach is actually a peninsular
with the Hawkesbury River and National Park on the western side and and the awesome
Pacific Ocean on the eastern side. Palm Beach is well known as the playground of Sydney's
rich and famous and the ideal place to buy a weekender if you have a few million to
spare. It's about one hour drive from Sydney or one and a half hours by public bus.
● Other North Sydney Beaches - Ocean Beaches
Beyond Manly Beach lies other spectacular
beaches and their beachside suburbs of Queenscliff Beach, Curl Curl Beach, Dee Why Beach,
Collaroy Beach, Narrabeen Beach, Warriewood Beach, Mona vale Beach, Newport Beach, Avalon
Beach, Bilgola Beach, Whale Beach --- then Palm Beach.
On the north side the lifestyle
is very laid back with an almost country-like relaxed feel. Houses are set in large
blocks, featuring the famous Aussie front and back yard, a showcase for gardens, pools
and BBQ's.
SOUTHERN
SYDNEY BEACHES
 Sydney's
Southern Ocean Beaches begins at the Harbour entrance -- locally known as The Gap --
and stop at the Royal National Park in the south. Sydney's Southern beaches begin with
the world famous Bondi Beach while Cronulla Beach designates the last of the Sydney
Oceanside Beaches on the south.
(There are more beaches further
south that curve inside Botany Bay but these are classed as Harbour/Bay Beaches -- not
ocean front beaches and are rarely visited by tourists.)
Some of the most visited Southern
Ocean front Beaches are:
● Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is only 8 km (5 miles)
from the city and the international and interstate tourists' favourite beach. The icons
and clichés abound: From the bronzed Aussie Lifesavers to pale, sunburnt British tourists...
from topless sunbathers and middle-aged, blue-collar workers in singlets, shorts, sunnies
sipping from VB beer cans to the photo-obsessed Japanese tourists.
● Tamarama Beach
Tamarama Beach is the next beach
south of Bondi and a lot quieter. It's a very small beach known locally as 'glamourama'
for the trendy, 'beautiful people' it attracts.
 ●
Coogee Beach
Coogee Beach is the next beach
southward and has a completely different atmosphere. Because its waves are relatively
flat and the surf much quieter than Bondi, it's a favourite for families, locals and
backpackers. The grassy slopes before the beach are dotted with small shaded pavilions
and seating for those who prefer wooden seating to sand.
● Other South Sydney Beaches - Ocean Beaches
After Bondi Beach there's Tamarama
Beach, Bronte Beach, Coogee Beach, Maroubra Beach, Malabar Beach, North Cronulla and
South Cronulla Beach (Sydney's longest beach).
Sydney city is on the southern
side of the Harbour and about 20 minutes from Bondi Beach and slightly more for the
other beaches. The southern (city-side) is more densely populated, energetic, multi-cultural
and cosmopolitan than the north.
SYDNEY HARBOUR BEACHES
HARBOUR
BEACHES -- NORTHERN HARBOUR BEACHES
 Inside
the Harbour, the beaches are referred to as North Harbour Beaches and South Harbour
Beaches. If you wish to experience the local lifestyle away from the major tourist hubs,
don't miss the secluded Harbour Beaches.
Because these are Harbour beaches -- not Ocean Beaches --
they don't have the surf, swells or rips of the ocean currents nor do they have the
ocean winds. Their protected positions offer a quieter, more relaxed, picnic atmosphere
than the ocean beaches and they are not dominated by shops catering to tourists and
visitors. Because many of them are surrounded by small parks or bush land, there's also
more shade from the harsh glare of the Australian sun.
Some of the Inner Harbour Beaches north side are Clontarf,
Chainman's , Balmoral and Obelisk Beach. Balmoral Beach is the largest and Obelisk the
smallest -- note Obelisk is primarily a legal nude beach.
HARBOUR
BEACHES -- SOUTHERN SYDNEY BEACHES
Southern Harbour Beaches are usually a little more crowded
the those on the north because they're closer to the major population centres of Sydney
and because many homes and tourist hotels are also on the south.
Some of the southern harbour beaches are:
Lady Jane (nudist), Camp Cove, Watson's Bay, Parsley Bay,
Vaucluse Beach, Shark Beach, Rose Bay, Lady Martins Beach, Seven Shilling Beach, Double
Bay.
There are more beaches around Botany Bay (Lady Robinson Beach,
Silver Beach, Wanda Beach, Elouera Beach, etc) but these are considered too far
for most visitors and therefore remain almost exclusively for locals use.
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