Image courtesy of Nigel Howe
Any visit to Sydney isn’t complete until you’ve spent a day or two lounging at one of its 37 city beaches. The tourist hordes flock to Bondi beach, synonymous with Sydney tourist culture, and although Bondi may be a Sydney institution it is not the best beach the city has to offer. Below you’ll find 5 beaches which will take your breath away, prices will be more reasonable, it will be much less crowded and there’s a much reduced chance of seeing drunken English people in football shirts singing about Manchester United.
5) Coming in at number 5 is Coogee beach. Not exactly off the beaten track Coogee will still have a much higher proportion of locals than Bondi, and has much nicer views. There is still a splattering of travellers to be found so you won’t be alone, the night life here is great so bring a change of clothes and you’ll be set for the next 24 hours! Coogee is around 8km from Sydney Central Business District, so take the subway to Bondi junction and jump on a bus from there.
4) Bronte beach was recently voted the best suburb to live in across the whole of Sydney so its popularity is currently booming. Bronte is a great beach for surfing so book yourself in for a lesson at one of the countless surf shops, their lifesaving club claims to be the oldest lifesaving club in the world! There are public BBQs available for rent here too so prepare yourself for the typical Australian day out. Get to Bondi Junction and there are direct buses to Bronte.
3) Tamarama beach is the next beach up from Bondi with awesome sand and surf. The beach itself is beautiful and due to Bondi’s proximity, it shouldn’t be too crowded. If hot chicks and buff dudes are your thing then this is the beach for you, it’s often referred to as Glamourama due to the hipsters and trendsetters dotted around!
2) The Northern Beaches flagship is Manly Beach, home to some very competitive volleyball tournaments, this is the place to get your speedos on and relive some TopGun moments. The best way to get here is to take the very scenic Manly Ferry from Sydney Harbour, it takes around 30 minutes and offers great views the whole way through the 7 mile journey.
1) Okay, so this one might be a bit controversial. Beaches can get a little bit boring so get yourself over to Obelisk Beach for a truly eye-opening experience. It’s a well kept secret and not too many tourists ever stray here, but with views of Sydney Harbour it’s a winner. One small note to make, this beach is ‘clothing optional’, which effectively means nudist beach! It was once frequented solely by gay men, it’s now home to a much more cosmopolitan demographic – if you’re feeling brave, strip off and get yourself there! Bus 244 from the city is the bus for you here.
Sydney offers some great beaches, but try to avoid the tourist trap and avoid spending all your time on Bondi, venture further a field and you’ll see a seemingly endless supply of amazing beaches across Sydney. What a city…
You can get to Sydney from a number of UK airports
Heathrow to Sydney
Manchester to Sydney
Newcastle to Sydney
Edinburgh to Sydney
Glasgow to Sydney