Bronte Beach:
This Beach is just walk away distance from the Famous Bondi
Beach. Bronte Beach has Considerable Less Traffic than its native beach. Bronte
Beach is Bit Smaller in size considering other Beaches here. With ocean pools
and easy access via public transportation, it's worth considering if all the Bondi
beach beauties get to be too much.
Whether you’re up for a Crocodile
Dundee adventure or you’d just like a taste of the Australian sun, the beaches
in and around Sydney can offer you all that and more. Being in the southern hemisphere,
Australia’s seasons are reversed from those in Europe, North American, and
much of Asia, so if you’re looking for good beach weather, make sure to
travel some time from September to May – that is, spring to autumn.
The Sydney shoreline encompasses over 200 miles of white sandy beaches, exhibiting
a variety of atmospheres from cosmopolitan Bondi Beach to majestic Cronulla.
For one Sydney beach, the name says it all – located at Sydney's northernmost
tip on an extension of land ending at Barrenjoey Head, Palm Beach lies with the
Pacific Ocean to the east side and the Bay to the west. Before checking out the
golden sand, take a quick tour of the opulent mansions of millionaires from the
art and film industries – many live on this small spit of land.
Only about an hour from downtown Sydney, Palm Beach offers a long stretch of clean
sand and water, with shops, restaurants, and entertainment at the southern end.
With parking near the center of the beach, that leaves the rest of it as a sparsely
populated, peaceful location from which you can surf or body board – but
take care; without the huge crowds of other Sydney beaches, Palm Beach doesn’t
afford quite the safety level to be found elsewhere; volunteer lifesavers are
on duty only on weekends and holidays. And if surfing’s not your style,
relax and take in the scenery, or amble up to Barrenjoey Head to see the lighthouse
and catch the view across Broken Bay.
For the big name beach, Bondi has
to be your choice. Parking is difficult to find even on slow days, so consider
taking public transport to this world-renowned beach in the eastern Sydney suburbs.
Easily accessible by taxi, bus, and rail, Bondi Beach offers sun bathing, swimming,
snorkeling, and all sorts of water
sports fun. If you’re in the mood for a bit of exercise, two scenic coastal
walks will afford you great views and sights along the shore. The first, about
1 1/2 miles one way, starts at Bondi and heads south to Bronte Beach. Take in
views from Mackenzie’s Point, but don’t try to swim in Mackenzie’s
Bay – it holds dangers such as hidden rocks and is not patrolled. Farther
on, admire the sandstone cliffs at Hawkesbury and see the aboriginal rock carvings
in Marks Park. Next enjoy the quiet charm of Tamarama, a small beach, not as popular
or widely known to tourists. You’ll finish your walk at North Bronte cliffs,
where hopefully the Norfolk Island hibiscus will be in bloom, thrilling you with
their exotic smell and colors.
Your second option for a scenic coastal
walk covers a little under two miles and takes you from Bronte Beach to Waverly
Cemetery. Highlights include the Bronte Baths and Waverly Cemetery where many
notable Australians are buried, including poets Henry Kendall, Doreothea Mackellar,
and Henry Lawson. A bit farther on you’ll find Bronte House, open to the
public only once a year, but you can still see the waterfall at the top of Bronte
park that feeds a charming stream winding its way through Coral trees, Eucalyptus,
Norfolk Island Pines and Moreton Bay Fig trees.
Another popular Sydney
beach is Cronulla, known for its excellent waves and shady trees, the waves
seemingly Heaven-sent for surfers and body boarders. The waves allow for every
level from beginner to expert, and the golden beach usually isn’t overflowing
with packed, oiled bodies out for that heavy duty tan. Cronulla also offers sheltered
waters for canoeing and kayaking, and jet boat tours will have you gasping for
breath as adrenilin pours through your body at the speed with which you travel
the seas! Cronulla is also one of the most popular beaches for scuba diving, offering
clear waters in which to view marine life the likes of which you’ll probably
never have the opportunity to see again.
Make sure to take a change of
clothes, because after an adventurous day on the beach at Cronulla, you’ll
want to take in the nightlife – restaurants, clubs, cafes, and a whole host
of other attractions. Consider Paddy’s Irish Bar and Restaurant with its
live bands and comedy nights, or just relax at an outdoor cafe and take in a movie
at one of the cinemas.
Most of the more populated beaches offer a wide
range of activities, from theater to festivals and food and wine parties. Restaurants
and shops abound, and if you’re feeling adventurous, you can charter a yacht,
hire a kayak, parasail, hang-gliding, snorkel, scuba-dive...the list goes on and
on. Surfing lessons are often available at stops right along the beaches, and
you might even end up at Ocean World to watch sharks being fed by hand and applaud
the antics of the seals as they perform.
Whether you’re making
a day of it or taking a romantic walk along the sand, remember that Sydney’s
beaches are each unique and draw different types of crowds. Some draw the tourists
with their glorious views of the City Harbor, while others attract surfers and
body boarders. Still others are dotted with family oriented picnic spots, and
some draw nude sunbathers! No matter what type you are headed for, you’ll
find enough beauty and tranquility or adventure and fun to dream of Aussie beaches
for years to come!
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