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.

A local's beach, that's for sure. It's not too crowded and is swimmable and surfable. On the south…read moreend is a rock pool that's well protected from the surf, if you're not in the mood to be in a washing machine. But the ocean itself is just as (if not more) fun. Like most of the Northern Beaches, there are walking paths galore, and they're very well maintained. Love it.

Now is the summer of our mass content, made glorious tanning…read moreby this king of sands! Curly is great. It's sort of the forgotten beach, everyone gets off the line at Mantown, keeps going to Dee Why, or is seduced by the Lolita charms of Freshy. But if you dig a wild, rippy swim, like a less-crowded surf, or want to play in the Wet'n'Wild of Sydney swimming-friendly rockpools, this is your huckleberry. Go the south end. The rock pool has ramps, a sandy bottom, separate kids and adult sections, and plenty of basking space. Peach of a place to while away a sunny day away from the great unwashed.

Hey, promise me something ok? As soon as you read this review please forget you ever read it and go…read moreback to happily splashing around at Balmoral or Manly or any of the fine Sydney beaches in the East and South. Because me and the 12 locals that frequent this beach on even the most perfect beach day don't want you here crowding up this pristine strip of sand. I like finding a free park no matter what time I arrive, I like not lining up for the shower and I like toilet paper in my public convenience dammit. Did I mention there are no shops nearby? You have to walk a whole block and a half to buy some great coffee and food. Pretty inconvenient right? Also if you live in the Northern Suburbs it's actually as quick to get here cutting through Mona Vale road as it is to get to any other beach in Sydney. Wait, forget I said that.

Great beach, if there is swell, some part of Narrabeen will catch it. Wit hsize and the right swell…read moredirection the waves get very hollow and you have a very good chance of snapping your board. you have been warned. If you don't live in Narrabeen DON'T bother paddling out at North Narrabeen. You won't be welcome. It's not as good as everyone says and there simply aren't enough waves to go around, it's already over crowded.

Our original plan was to go to Bondi Beach but so many locals said Manly Beach was nicer so we…read moreheaded there. So easy to get to, we walked to the ferry from our hotel and got a direct boat to the Manly harbor. A couple of blocks walk and you are on the beach. The weather was not all that great for swimming so we watched the surfers for a bit then headed on the trail that takes you out to the North Head and Burragula lookout. The sights and paths along the way are beautiful. We saw an echidna moseying along the way which was cool.

With the construction from Sydney, the drive was less than ideal. Manly Beach was clean but not as…read morebeautiful as I thought it would. There are restrooms. Also in walking distance are numerous shops and restaurants.

I sure do love the Northern beaches. This one is complete with multiple rock pools, a strip on the…read moremain road with diverse food options, and lots of locals gallivanting around... so you know this beach is solid. Compared to the other Northern beaches, this one is super accessible by public transport (and also a 20 minute walk away from the B line). Palm Beach, Dee Why, and Collaroy are in the top 3 of my favorite Northern beaches.

Got a long-haired surfer mate that lives right on the promenade, a veritable stone's throw from the…read morefoam. Nay, less than a stone's throw. Here, then, is a morning spent in his company courtesy of Dee Why. Up at 5am. De-zombify as much as is practical at that hour. At his place by half fivey. Say good morning to his attractive flattie as she wipes the sleep from her eyes and stretches like a cat. Wettie top on, pick up our sticks, trot over to the south end of the beach. Wait 5 mins while mate hits the crapper (nobody likes an aquabog). Wait 5 mins more. What is he doing in there. Pick our way across the rocks to the end of the point, time our jump between sets and spend an hour surfing classy right-handers with a handful of like-minded souls. Follow the swell and paddle across to the beach. Sun is up now, everything's gold. Half the board riders in the drink disappear to get to work. It's all ours for another precious hour. Finishe with a giant brekkie -- acai with seasonal fruit or full clacker with a side of potato rosti -- at one of the dozen beachfront cafes, take your pick, throw down an Earl Grey, fist bump, chest bump, high five, draw the line at an ass slap, and start the day proper. Perfsies brah. Yay Dee Why.

This sheltered beach is a great place for families due to its small, manageable size, and its…read morerelatively calm surf that makes it an attractive beach for those who love to swim. Many people come here to participate in watersports, so you will see many windsurfers, kayakers, and swimmers when you visit. There's also a shaded playground located behind the beach, which offers a great place for kids to play if they get tired of swimming or building sandcastles at the beach. It doesnt have the crowds that Balmoral Beach can get but on the rare occasion can be busy. Come and relax at Chinamens away from the maddening crowd.

If you love to swim in the ocean, then this is the beach for you. If you love to play ball in the…read moreocean, you can't go past this place. If you love to soak up the rays, Chinamans Beach is the answer - it's always the answer. There is plenty of room on the sand and in the water - the only crowding you get is battling the traffic along Military Rd in Neutral Bay and Mosman to get to this gem of a beach ... sooo bring your Webber, throw on some prawns, slice up a frozen watermelon and enjoy our Sydney summer days.

Went early in the morning being one of the firsts on the beach. High tide day so there was very…read morelittle sand available for lounging so we retreated to the rocks. It was a gorgeous sunny day with the water feeling refreshing. We left close to noon just as more people started showing up. Will go again if I ever have the opportunity to return to Australia.

I think the days of believing that nudist beaches are a hotbed of blonde beauties flaunting their…read moreperfect physiques are loooooong gone. And if you needed any clarification of this, head to Lady Bay Beach in Watsons Bay. I've never quite worked out if this is technically a gay nudist beach, or whether it just happens to be populated by ageing naked guys, with large guts, most of the time. The beach itself isn't too bad, I've never ventured down to spend an afternoon on it, but you can see it quite clearly from the path that leads to South Head (and it tends to be quite a pretty sight, except when there are people on it!). I've not really considered nudism as a potential activity, but that's mainly due to the fact that I get annoyed when I get sunburnt shoulders, imagine getting sunbu- ... never mind. If you're trying to get around the beaches of Sydney on your travels, I think you'd be better off hitting up Camp Cove just down the path, it's a much more pleasant setting!

The locals will probably hate me for telling you about this one, but only a short stroll around the…read morebay from the ferry terminal, there is a beach which is a hidden little treat. It sits at the bottom of the eerily well-kept lawns of some of Manly's apartment buildings and so is far more serene and untouristy than the more well-known nearby beach on Steyne. It's seemingly very geared towards this clean family vibe as there's even a very pretty outdoor pool craftily built into the rocks around the bay, a massive bonus if you've got the swimming abilities of a toddler without armbands...like me, as well as strict signs and outdoor showers. This is proper and professional beach going if ever I saw it!

Or otherwise known as Fairlight Beach it has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney…read more The only thing is getting a proper place to swim off from as sometimes being here at low tide it can get a bit rocky on the feet walking into the shore so I try and swim off the rocks. Smart people use the ocean pool. I love how the walkway curves around the beach and around Fairlight to Manly Pavillion this has to be one of the most spectacular walks in the world.Oh and the snorkelling is fantastic as well. If you are a visitor to our shores this beach is a must visit.

Beaches. Beaches everywhere!…read more Quite frankly, I tend to go to Dee Why beach the most because of the wide variety of food there (my life is literally revolves around food #sorrynotsorry haha) but if you walk a little further down, this is where you'll find Long Reef Beach. This little beauty is also another popular place amongst families during the weekends. It's particularly nice because it tends to not be as packed as the others. However on hot sunny days parking will be hard to find! If you're game, I'd suggest walking from Dee Why beach down to Long Reef and then back before or after dinner. Not only are you burning calories, but you can also take in the beautiful scenery and that amazing feeling of sand between your toes. Win-win in my books!

I was driving down Pittwater Rd in search of the perfect little cafe to have breaky at (ended up…read morebeing Curly's On The Corner http://frid.co/nYr7vT )but could not find anything that suited. Getting hungry and needing a bit of clarity, I spotted the sign for the beach and went for it. What I found was an awesome little surf club and a brilliant beach. Taking my opportunity to stretch my legs I got rid on my shoes and soaked in a bit of sun while feeling the warm, soft sand. Having been to my share of beaches overseas, when you have a blue sky day in Sydney, and you are on the beach (especially on that is not over crowded), there is not much better. As for this club, they have done a great job in providing the essentials for an awesome weekend. There is a the BBQ, covered benches and a little kiosk. So with plenty of parking available, and a great beach just waiting for you, what are you waiting for....? :-)

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.