Famous Beaches in Sydney

Bondi Beach

Sydney’s most popular beach is Bondi Beach. It is located 7 km (4 miles) from the central business district of Sydney. The beach became famous for the TV series ‘Bondi Rescue’. Lifeguards patrolling the beach 365 days a year have been filmed during their work. The TV series is broadcast in 100 countries. Bondi literally means the noise of water breaking over the rocks. It is an aboriginal word. The beach is about 1 km (0.62 miles) long and is listed on the Australian National Heritage List since 2008. The south end of Bondi Beach is marked for surfers. Swimmers should swim between the red and yellow flags. The area between the red and yellow flags is a safe swimming area. A few hundred meters from shore, Bondi has shark nets underwater.

Just located near the south end of the beach, you find a swimming pool and restaurant. This is Bondi Icebergs. The pool is open for visitors all year round. There is also a clubhouse at Bondi Icebergs. All visitors can enjoy the view over the pool and the ocean from the balcony. From Bondi Icebergs, a coastal walking trail leads to Tamarama Beach and Bronte Beach, and Coogee Beach. The entire walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach is 6 km (3.7 miles). It is a well-maintained trail and takes you 2 hours to complete. Along the way, you may spot whales in the season, from May to November.

Tamarama Beach

Tamarama Beach is a rather small beach located south of Bondi Beach. You pass the beach when you follow the walking trail from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. Tamarama is prone to strong currents. You have a café, playground, and barbecue area nearby. The nickname, given by locals, is ‘Glamarama‘. The famous lifeguards of Bondi Beach patrol the beach.

Bronte Beach

Bronte Beach is located 2.5km (1.55 miles) south from Bondi Beach. Every year, an ocean swimming competition takes place between Bronte and Bondi. Bronte Beach has an ocean pool located at the south end of the beach. You can reach Bronte Beach by bus. A bus service to the beach is operating from Sydney Central railway station or Bondi Junction. Bronte has the world’s oldest lifesaving club founded in 1903.

Coogee Beach

The name Coogee comes from the local Aboriginal word ‘koojah‘ that means ‘smelly place‘. ‘Smelly place’ refers to the smelly seaweed that is washed up on the beach. Apart from the smelly seaweed, Coogee Beach is a delight for families. The beach is patrolled by lifeguards and is famous for its safe swimming conditions. Like most beaches in the surroundings, Coogee has an ocean pool. There is also a promenade with barbeque areas and playgrounds, and it could easily be reached by bus. At the northern end of the beach, stairs lead you to Dolphin Point, the Giles Baths ocean pools and the Bali bombing memorial.

Cronulla Beach

In the southern suburbs of Sydney, Cronulla Beach has a lot to offer: great scenery, history, a great swimming spot, and is good for surfing. Cronulla literally means ‘place of pink seashells’. The name comes from the Aboriginal word ‘kurranulla’. The beach is accessible by train. There is a direct train service running from Sydney to Cronulla and takes around 55 minutes. It is a 45-minute-trip by car. At Cronulla, you can do the Cronulla walk, passing ocean pools and scenic views. The walk takes about 2 hours. Cronulla Park, a grassed area with a playground and shade trees, is located near the beach.

Manly Beach

One of Sydney’s most popular northern beaches is Manly Beach. It is located 7 miles from the city center, and you can easily reach the beach by ferry. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Manly Wharf from Circular Quay. The first governor of the state New South Wales, Captain Phillip, named the beach after the confident and manly behavior of the Aboriginals that lived in this area. Manly Beach is 1.5km (0.93 miles) long. At one end, the beach has a pool. The ocean swimming pool is located at the northern end. At the north end of the beach, there is a good spot for surfers, for beginners and more experienced surfers.

Things to be aware of:

When visiting Sydney’s beaches, you must be aware of:

⦁ Bluebottles;
⦁ Rips;
⦁ Sharks.

To avoid swimming in rips, swim between the red and yellow flags the lifeguards put on the beach.