Places worth the trip

Shelly Beach and Cabbage Tree Bay

A protected aquatic reserve where snorkellers drift over groupers, wobbegongs and schools of fish just metres from the sand.

Balmoral Beach

A grand old harbour beach with a netted swimming enclosure, an island joined by a little stone bridge.

Spit Bridge to Manly

Ten kilometres of harbour bushland, quiet coves and lookouts, finishing with a well earned swim at Manly.

West Head and the Basin Track

Sandstone country above Pittwater with wildflowers, ancient rock engravings and one of the finest lookouts in the state at the end.

Barrenjoey Lighthouse Walk

A short, steady climb to a sandstone lighthouse with the ocean on one side and Pittwater on the other.

North Head Sanctuary Loop

An easy wander over heathland at the harbour's front door, with echidnas and bandicoots in residence, memorial gardens.

Resolute Beach

A walk in secret below West Head, some say the prettiest beach in Sydney.

Clareville Beach

Pittwater at its gentlest, shallow, shady and made for small swimmers.

Flint and Steel Beach

A wild pocket on Broken Bay, reached by bush track, loved by fishers.

Portuguese Beach

A boat access hideaway on Pittwater's national park shore.

West Head Beach

Below the famous lookout, a quiet curve facing the mouth of Pittwater.

Paradise Beach

A calm Pittwater pocket with its own baths, name entirely deserved.

Station Beach

The long quiet sand below Barrenjoey, on Pittwater's still side.

The Basin

A netted lagoon with wallabies for neighbours, ferry ride included.

Snapperman Beach

Palm Beach's Pittwater twin, all boats, calm water and boatshed charm.

Great Mackeral Beach

A tiny ferry only community with a beach at its front door.

Currawong Beach

Old workers' cottages, big trees and Pittwater lapping the lawn.

Palm Beach

The golden mile under Barrenjoey, famous face, wild heart.

Sandy Beach

The calm Pittwater side of Palm Beach, where the boats load for adventures.

Whale Beach

Palm Beach's quieter sibling, peach coloured sand between two headlands.

Avalon Beach

Surf town soul, bookshop and bakery included.

Little Avalon

LA to the locals: the wave over the rock shelf at the southern end of Avalon Beach.

Bilgola Beach

Hidden in a green amphitheatre at the bottom of the bends.

Newport Beach

A broad family beach with a pool and a proud surf club.

Bungan Beach

No road in, no crowds, just a steep path and wild sand.

Basin Beach (Bongin Bongin Bay)

Mona Vale's small northern cove with the beautiful old name.

Mona Vale Beach

Home of the rock shelf pool the photographers cannot leave alone.

Warriewood Beach

A snug beach between tall headlands, wetlands humming behind.

Turimetta Beach

The locals' sunrise secret, wild, short and utterly photogenic.

Narrabeen Beach

Surf royalty, with a lagoon at its back door.

North Narrabeen Beach

The hallowed surf corner where champions learned to turn.

Collaroy Beach

The family friendly heart of the long Narrabeen sweep.

Fishermans Beach

A calm boat basin between Collaroy and Long Reef, snorkel friendly.

Long Reef Beach

A sweeping wild beach beside a reef platform full of life.

Dee Why Beach

Big sky surf with a strand of cafes and a beloved pool.

North Curl Curl Beach

The wilder end of the Curl Curl sweep, with a rockpool in the cliffs.

Curl Curl Beach

A long honest stretch of sand that locals quietly adore.

Freshwater Beach

Where Australian surfing began, snug between two headlands.

Queenscliff Beach

The northern crown of the Manly sweep, lagoon beside it.

Manly Beach

The great promenade of Sydney beaches, Norfolk pines and all.

North Steyne

The middle mile of Manly's sweep, with its own proud surf club.

Shelly Beach

The snorkelling jewel inside Cabbage Tree Bay's no take reserve.

Fairy Bower Beach

A sliver of sand and a sea pool on the path to Shelly.

Quarantine Beach

Calm water and layered history below the old Quarantine Station.

Spring Cove

A quiet bay of little beaches tucked inside North Head.

Store Beach

Reached only by water, and worth every paddle stroke.

Collins Beach

Bush wrapped and hushed, a short walk from busy Manly.

Little Manly Cove

The netted family cove around the corner from the wharf.

Manly Cove

Harbour swimming right beside the ferry wharf.

Delwood Beach

A rock backed pocket between Manly Cove and Fairlight.

Fairlight Beach

A tidal pool and clear snorkelling on the harbour path.

Forty Baskets Beach

A netted swim with Manly across the water, named for a famous catch.

Reef Beach

A secluded curve inside Dobroyd Head's bushland.

Washaway Beach

The beach that vanishes at high tide, hidden under Grotto Point.

Clontarf Beach

Shallow, netted and beloved by generations of picnicking families.

Castle Rock Beach

Stone stairs, a rock like a castle, and quiet green water.

Chinaman's Beach

Mosman's serene sweep, all calm water and elegant quiet.

Cobblers Beach

A relaxed clothes optional cove on Middle Head's north side.

Edwards Beach

Balmoral's quieter northern half, with a hidden rockpool beyond.

Parsley Bay

A quiet, leafy harbour bay with a netted swimming area, gentle water and a lovely little suspension bridge.

Wylies Baths

A heritage tidal ocean pool built in 1907.

Bondi Icebergs

The most photographed ocean pool in the world, and it earns it.

Camp Cove

A golden crescent just inside South Head where the harbour is at its clearest.

Milk Beach

A pocket of sand below Strickland House with the whole harbour laid out in front of you.

Clovelly Beach

A long, narrow bay walled by rock platforms that keep the water calm and glass clear.

Bushrangers Bay

A tiny rocky cove with its own aquatic reserve.

Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk

Six kilometres of clifftop path linking beach after beach, with whale sightings in season and an ocean pool waiting at nearly every stop.

Grand Canyon Track, Blackheath

A loop that drops you into a green slot canyon of tree ferns, mossy walls and creek crossings.

National Pass, Wentworth Falls

A hundred year old track carved into the cliff face halfway between the valley floor and the sky.

The Coast Track

Twenty six kilometres of sea cliffs, hidden beaches and heathland between Bundeena and Otford.

Lady Bay Beach

A tiny cove under South Head, clothes optional and famously friendly.

Shark Beach (Shark Bay)

Nielsen Park's grand netted swimming beach, a Sydney summer institution.

Rose Bay

Seaplanes, promenade and gentle harbour shallows.

Tingara Beach

Rose Bay's little local strip of harbour sand.

Kutti Beach

A hidden sliver of sand at Vaucluse that locals keep quiet about.

Lady Martin's Beach

A secret at the end of a Point Piper laneway, yachts bobbing just offshore.

Seven Shillings Beach

Gentle harbour shallows beside Redleaf, a favourite for morning dips.

Watsons Bay

Calm water by the ferry wharf, with fish and chips waiting on the grass.

Vaucluse Bay

A quiet, sheltered notch of harbour below historic Vaucluse House.

Queens Beach

A small, easily missed neighbour of Nielsen Park, at its best at high tide.

Double Bay

Still water and shady figs at Redleaf, with a boardwalk made for lazy laps.

Chowder Bay

Clear water off the old timber wharves at Clifton Gardens, a netted swim and picnic lawns.

Obelisk Beach

A steep track down to a secluded, clothes optional cove facing the Heads.

Bondi Beach

The postcard itself, and somehow still better in person.

North Bondi Beach

The calmer corner where Bondi families set up camp.

South Bondi Beach

The Icebergs end, where the surfers and lap swimmers gather.

Mackenzies Bay

The sometimes beach, sand that comes and goes as it pleases.

Tamarama Beach

Small, beautiful and stronger than it looks.

Bronte Beach

The family gully, the bogey hole and the beloved baths.

Coogee Beach

A gentle bay ringed by more swimming pools than any beach deserves.

Gordons Bay

Boats on racks, an underwater trail, and no crowds to speak of.

Lurline Bay

A wild rocky notch where the sea does the swimming.

Mahon Pool

Maroubra's sunrise pool, carved into the rock shelf.

Maroubra Beach

The big open one, a national surfing reserve with room to breathe.

South Maroubra Beach

The quieter southern end, dunes behind and space to spare.

Malabar (Long Bay)

A deep calm bay with an ocean pool and gentle water.

Little Bay

A secluded pocket below the old hospital headlands.

Botany Bay

The historic bay itself, calmer and greener than its reputation.

Silver Beach

Kurnell's long calm strand, combed by its stone groynes.

Little Congwong Beach

The quieter, unofficial cousin around the point from Congwong.

Dolls Point

Sailing club sand where the long bay beach turns the corner.

Sandringham Bay

A soft corner of the bay beside Dolls Point, made for wading.

Brighton le Sands

The promenade beach, shallow water and a Mediterranean hum.

Frenchman's Bay

La Perouse's gentle swimming corner, history on every headland.

Yarra Bay

A broad, calm bay with a sailing club and honest local soul.

The Suction

A tiny local secret with an unforgettable name.

Congwong Beach

Facing Bare Island, calm water over seagrass and sand.

Commonwealth Beach

Quiet sand near the Kurnell landing place, steeped in story.

Lady Robinsons Beach

The bay's long crescent, five suburbs of sand in one breath.

Boat Harbour

A rock sheltered corner at Kurnell with an aquatic reserve at its toes.

Wanda Beach

The wide, dune backed north end of Cronulla's great sweep.

Gunnamatta Bay

The grand old netted baths a short stroll from Cronulla station.

Cronulla Beach

The only Sydney beach with its own train station, pools included.

North Cronulla Beach

The livelier stretch where the esplanade meets the surf.

Eloura Beach

The friendly middle of the great Cronulla sweep.

Shelly Beach (Cronulla)

Cronulla's own Shelly, calm water and a park at its back.

Maianbar Beach

Sandflats, stillness and Royal National Park across the water.

Salmon Haul Bay

A rocky cove on the quiet Port Hacking side of the point.

Gunyah Beach

Bundeena's ferry side beach, calm water facing the Port.

Simpsons Bay

A still Bundeena pocket the holiday houses keep to themselves.

Jibbon Beach

Royal National Park sand, ancient engravings on the headland.

Little Jibbon

Around the corner from Jibbon, where the sandstone shelf meets the open sea.

Horderns Beach

Bundeena's front beach, ferries crossing and the Port glittering.

Wattamolla Lagoon

A sheltered lagoon behind the beach where fresh water meets salt, ringed by bush.