Yaaaayyy! Our eldest child finally turned 15 so we can take the family out together kayaking at…read moreMiddle Harbour ... children under 15 need to be accompanied by an adult, so the maths simply never worked out for this to be a family event until now. What a great spot. Pick up your craft at the southern end of the bridge - complete with all the safety gear - and head out for some fun and exercise up the harbour. Some sleek and sporty kayaks are on display at the site - one of which is now in our garage! - but for rentals the options are a little less ambitious: plastic or composite. Fine for family fun though, and probably a lot safer for the kids than the less stable alternatives. We're happy to rent on our own, but you can also join classes or group paddling tours, learning the basics or up-grading your skills to get out on a touring or sea kayak. In fact some of the tours almost work our cheaper than straightforward rentals, but you're dependent on moving at other people's pace.

I feel like paddle boarding has been trendy for a while now, and it took me until now to try it for…read morethe first time. Since I spent the afternoon last week on the Spit to Manly walk, I wanted to have my first time paddle boarding on the calm waters of the area by Clontarf beach. So I chose to rent my paddleboard from Sydney Harbour Kayaks. Another plus of renting from here is that they are the least expensive when compared to other rental outlets around the city. It's $20 for a one-hour rental and $30 for two hours. I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather as much as possible by choosing two hours. I was given a very short introduction by the kind staff about how to paddle and then I was on my way. The wind was actually really strong that day, making paddling a more arduous task than usual. Blowing against the direction I wanted to go, the wind constantly pushed me towards the shore and pushing me off the board twice. Finally I made my way to the beach and chilled there for a while. Right before they closed, I struggled to paddle myself back to shore. Though my struggles at sea weren't their fault, I kind of hoped that I would have been briefed more thoroughly on how to maneuver the board in strong winds. I'll definitely be hiring a kayak next time.

This is one of a few boatsheds that enable you to have a boating trip in nature, while you're still…read morein the city! Lane Cove has some gorgeous mansions each with their own boatshed and lush front gardens you can peak at from your hired vessel. Take care though-the river has its sharks and stingers :)

A very safe place to try out Kayaking is at Lane Cove National Park as the river is very calm and…read morestill. It is a hidden gem in the inner west. The water is generally easy to row in and there are only a few people kayaking. The Boatshed is a blessing to the park. It offers Kayaks, Canoes and Paddle boats to explore the water. You can hire in half hour blocks or for the whole day. The kayaks are in very good condition and the compulsory life vests come in a range of sizes. I came back earlier than my scheduled time and was offered a Bike ride for the remaining 15 mins. That gesture offered by the owner has made this a 5 star review. I realised my love for mountain biking again and the road to ride on is not too bad.. Quite a fun day. Oh, the boat shed also sells ice-creams and crisps and non-alcoholic beverages. Not to much variety, but enough to keep you refreshed if you forgot to pack your picnic basket.

Been wanting to do this kayak trip in the early morning for some time and we finally booked to go…read morethis morning. It's spectacular and a great way to see the harbour in the early morning and watching the sun come out. Paul and Grace our guides were excellent and friendly and gave us lots of information along the way. Loved watching the sun come out and it's a gentle and relatively easy process with coffee in hand :-) thanks guys it was a memorable experience and something we will repeat with visitors.

Absolutely brilliant. These guys offer a sunrise kayak in the harbour, starting just before sunrise…read morewhen the waters are calmer and there are only a few ferries and other water craft around. This allows for a paddle under the harbour bridge and towards the opera house. Starting point is very central in Lavender Bay (close to Lunar Park and Milsons Point train station). The fee includes a large number of photos and an excellent coffee, which you can sip while floating on Sydney Harbour. Excellent safety briefing and you get your own very stable kayak. Suitable for novices and fun enough for the experienced kayakers. I want to go again... despite the 5:20 am start.

Kayaking - one of those things that people seem to get excited about until about 20 minutes into it…read morewhen they realise that it's bloody knackering and pull up at the nearest beach and drink a few beers before paddling back again. That's how it worked out for us last Sunday anyway. To be fair, we had the kayaks for 4 hours and there was no way I was going to be hooning (as much as you can at 5kph) around Manly Cove for that long! So instead we packed our little boats and paddled out and around a couple of bays and ended up on Collins Beach, where we stayed for 3 hours until it was time to float back. The Manly Kayak Centre is located right near the ferry terminal - next to the Manly Wharf Bar - so it's pretty hard to miss. It's the building floating near the beach with a bunch of kayaks next to it! They give you a little map to show you where you can and cannot go, which means cutting over the ferries' paths is a no-no, due to high chance of death. And you can't paddle to far south as there's an imaginary black line that you cannot go over, otherwise you'll be attacked (and probably eaten) by the cartoony whale from the map. They also offer lessons, tours and various other water-based activities, so check out the website for more details on those! Prices vary, depending on how long you want to go for and how many there are of you, but it starts at around $20 for one hour in a single. Although it's good to get a double so you can rely on someone else when your arms get tired!

If you want to learn about Manly Kayay Centre read Morgan C's review.... if you want to learn about…read morerelationships then may I suggest you go kayaking with your loved one.... WOW - interesting things can happen in the water... let me tell you, this is a wonderful way to work out how well you can work as a team and how in-sync you two really are.... When two people are in a kayak they have to work together in order to move forward and navigate. If they don't work as a team and communicate things can go terribly wrong and people can end up getting hurt.... If you want to see if you're the "captain of the ship" or whether or not you and your "partner" are actually on the same team - there's nothing like the plastic kayak and paddles to bring relationship issues to the surface..... A great social experiment.