Beautiful and picturesque. One of those spots that locals…read moreand visitors alike love but not overly busy. Great morning noon or night to explore , chill, or hideaway. There's a cafe on the beach for food or coffee and the area has the local fish'n'chips plus other stores. There are flagged areas to swim but it's a good beach to almost swim anywhere. Rocks are great source of entertainment for the kids as well as photo opportunities. The cliffs provide a majestic backdrop and the open beach gives lovely light for sunset. I don't know why I don't come here more often. :)

Probably one of my favorite beaches in Sydney. During my semester abroad way back when I'd enjoy…read morestrolling through Manly all the way to lesser known Freshwater beach. Sometimes I head through the lovely cliff side neighborhoods just walk along the cliff. I'd often find my self hanging out here for hours. Sometimes at the beach or sitting on the cliffs studying for school. There's a special connection to this beach to where I currently live in Hawaii. This is where Duke Kahanamoku, Olympian, politician, surfer, spreader of Aloha introduced Surfing to Australia. Inside the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club there is a little memorial for the Duke with pictures, trophies, and his original wooden board he took to Australia. If you head up the stairs above the salt water pool there is an overgrown little park with a statue of the Duke Kahanamoku surfing on a boulder facing Freshwater beach. It's definitely a cool spot for anyone visiting from Hawaii. It's a great beach too with dramatic picturesque landscape. Ideally probably one of my top dream Neighborhoods to reside one day.

Once again, Freshie is one of my favorite beaches. It draws locals and not the chaos of tourist and…read moresurfers.

Little Bay Beach is a gorgeous little spot, still not very well known. It's the last sand beach…read morebefore Botany Bay. Because it's a sheltered cove, there isn't any surf, but the place is great for paddling and snorkeling. Don't be put off by its proximity to Long Bay Gaol, or by its proximity to Malabar sewage treatment -- they've got that stuff all sorted out now, right? Little Bay Beach has wonderful sandstone outcrops, perfect for having a picnic with friends, and a nice mix of sun and shade. The abundance of little outcrops and cave-like spaces means you often find canoodling couples in various states of undress, spread out on towels and picnic blankets, with grapes, hummus and watermelon strewn about ... it gives the whole place a relaxed, bacchanalian sort of feel. There was an old hospital in Little Bay (long since closed down), which used to make the entrance to the beach quite creepy. In recent times they've built a housing subdivision at the old Prince Henry Hospital site, so the place isn't quite so spooky or derelict, but the development isn't too close to the foreshore, so you can't see buildings when you're sitting at the beach. It was quite a creepy hospital: used during the Bubonic plague in 1900. There are still a few heritage hospital buildings around, otherwise the rest of the structures are very new. There is a golf course nearby, but the risks of getting hit on the head by a golf ball are probably lower than your average Sydney bluebottle sting risks, so I reckon it's worth it. Little Bay achieved art-world fame back in 1969, when Christo wrapped it up in fabric. The whole bay. There are some great photos of it here: http://kaldorartprojects.org.au/project-archive/christo-and-jeanne-claude-1969 Little Bay's remoteness means that you can still find a park, if you drive there. But it is also accessible by bus. Just go down Anzac Parade, almost forever... The best bit? Feels like a holiday retreat, but it's in Sydney. The worst bit? No waves. Flat as a tack.

Gorgeous little beach. Not many people around, especially on a weekday. The water is crystal clear…read more& depending on the weather, some waves. Perfect place to relax. Free, non metered street parking near by & access to toilets.

Wattamolla beach rests peacefully in Sydney's Royal National Park, which was established in 1879…read moreand boasts the title of World's second oldest national park (after Yellowstone in the USA). Wattamolla takes its name from the local Aboriginal word meaning, "place near running water." A perfect description for this aquatic wonderland. Wattamolla is a beautiful combination of beach and fresh water lagoon, separated by a sandbar. The unpatrolled beach, though not suitable for surfing (Wattamolla is a cove, so protected from swells) is clear and sparkling most days, and if you're lucky you might even see a seal or two swim into the cove to say hi. But be careful of the curious bluebottles, whose corpses often line the shore in summertime. Sheer cliffs frame the lagoon, which is perfect for toddlers and children, and it is a popular spot for cliff jumping (but it is illegal, and the varying depths of the lagoon have caused serious injuries). Wattamolla offers easy access to over 100 kilometres of walking tracks spanning the National Park, including the popular coastal walk from Bundeena to Otford The grassed cliff-top above the beach provides picnic tables, barbeque facilities, and not-too-scary public toilets. The car park is huge, but come weekends and (especially) public holidays finding a spot can be near impossible. Your best bet is to avoid Wattamolla altogether on these occasions, and visit midweek. Vehicle entry fee into the National Park- $11

So I spend 6 months a while back in the Bundeena area and visited this beach from time to time…read more Tucked away in the Royal National Park it is secluded and not crowded on the times I visited. There is plenty of place near the parking area to picnic. You can literally walk right up to the edge of the cliffs that surround the beach and jump off...which many folks have, but is discouraged.........by a small little railing. That is was I love about country...they don't legally look at such things as we Yanks do. The small railing says....if you are stupid enough to jump off...then we won't be responsible for you if you do....and I like that approach. We Yanks in our country try everything to make sure someone doesn't jump off such places. It is a nice little place to visit south of Sydney.

Sea caves here were lovely. We apparently came at the right time (I didn't know there was a timing…read morefactor) and were able to see all the caves around. The rocks surround here were beautiful and it was all around just stunning.

This little unknown harbour beach sits at the bottom of Taronga Zoo. If there were any animal…read moreenclosures that could give a hint to where it could be it would definitely be the Muir Cats - standing upright pointing the way. Access to Whiting Beach is a beautiful rugged bushwalk from a residential street which clears out to this tiny beach with a spectacular view of the harbour and ferries pulling into Taronga Beach zoo ferry wharf. As its off the beaten track it does not have the manicured maintenance of our most well known beaches and there is a sign that warns of syringes that maybe hidden in the sand. I talk to some locals and they say in all the years they have been using the beach they have never come across syringes and just as much chance of finding them on the popular beaches than Whiting Beach however for the sake of my baby I keep her shoes on and watch her as she excitedly bumbles towards the water. Bring a picnic blanket also as well as beach towels as the walk is steep you may want to spend quality time on this beach. Alot of leisure craft use the beach as a swim stop. There is only 4 other people on the actual beach which gives it a deserted feeling... well as deserted as you would find in the middle of one of the worlds most beauitful cities. This natural gem is just a reminder of how beautiful it can be.

Beautiful surrounding but extremely dirty. I havnt seen so much garbage on the beach and in the…read morewater since phuket. I pulled out 10 bottles from the beach and on finding no bin left them next to the syringe recepticle unit. Many bottles were broken and swimming would mean cut feet. A real black eye for sydney.

This place is absolutely wonderful, when I came there the waves were decent size,good beach for…read moresurfing, good restaurants nearby

This region is a favourite of mine for short stays. About an hour's drive from Sydney, in the…read moreCentral Coast of NSW, Avoca Beach is a popular destination for families, tourists, or couples just wishing to get away. The long stretch of golden beach has a buzzing surf culture and is also ideal for recreational swimming, with patrols on watch during summer. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring us the most pleasure. I love to sit on a towel with a good book, amidst the backdrop of the beautiful Pacific and simply enjoy the relaxed holiday vibe. It's also worth exploring the serene Avoca Lake which lies behind the beach. There's great shopping with a variety of restaurants and boutiques to choose from. Many romantic nights have been spent on the open plan balcony of the Blue Bar and Bistro in the area.

For a beach that is a lot off the beaten track and in fresh water, does this still qualify as a…read morebeach? To get here you will need to get a ferry from Brooklyn across the Hawkesbury River to the Little Wobby Beach Wharf. There's a bit of a walk through the houses to get onto the track that leads to this beach. You will see wildlife. We watched a few wallabies racing around. There were people fishing off the beach in the early morning, it's a great place to have a swim in the afternoon after a hot sweaty day of trampling around the bushes trying to find an obscure waterfall. Which we didn't find. But we did manage to get lost and run out of water! So for those wanting to bush walk in this area, make sure you take more than 3 litres of water for a 7 hour hike! It's a lovely spot though and well worth the ferry over to check out.