These landmarks include the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and that classic of modern architectural design, the Sydney Opera House.
A buzzing and cosmopolitan city, one could be forgiven for overlooking the fact that there are also some world class beaches in and around the city.
The most famous of the lot is undeniably Bondi Beach, which manages to combine the hip alternative style of the surfing culture with a friendly vibe that means people of all ages are welcome.
As well as this international superstar, and the other famous beaches of Manly and Coogee, there is a large selection of coastal stretches, both sandy and rocky, that are variously suited to surfing, swimming, and simply soaking up the sun.
The Pacific coastline of Sydney is where the majority of these beaches are found, although there are also several harbour beaches in Port Jackson. The best surfing beaches are unsurprisingly those facing the powerful waves coming in from the Pacific.
Palm Beach is the name of both the suburb and the beach. Palm Beach is the furthest north Sydney’s ocean beaches, some 41 km away from the central business district in Sydney. Palm Beach will seem very familiar to students and other aficionados of day time television, as it is the location used for the filming of ‘Summer Bay’, the fictional setting for the soap opera Home and Away. Aside from this pop cultural fame, Palm Beach is known as something of a centre for the more highbrow arts, with a significant painting and poetic community.
Moving just down the coast toward Sydney, Whale Beach is home to a surf break known as the Wedge, favoured by serious surfers as being removed from the hordes of backpackers who flock to Bondi to try out surfing for the first time.
Next along the coast is Avalon, another surfing beach. Surfing enthusiasts may be interested to note that the suburb of Avalon is home to a number of former world surfing champions. It seems that Avalon is the place where surfers in the know base themselves have their pick of the best breaks.
Much closer to the centre of Sydney is the more famous suburb of Manly, which features a selection of fine beaches that are very popular with tourists. There are both golden sands and rock pools to be found on the beaches on Manly. Manly has both ocean facing beaches for the surf set, and a harbour facing side, with beaches lapped by more gentle waters ideally suited for swimmers.
Bondi and Coogee are both to be found in the grouping known as the southern beaches of Sydney. Bondi unsurprisingly has well developed facilities both on and off shore. These include plenty of lifeguards, and designated safe swimming areas, delineated by yellow and red flags. Bondi also benefits from the protection of underwater shark nets during the summer months.
The southern end of the beach is where the dangerous currents are found, and is usually the sole reserve of surfers, while the northern end contains the safer swimming areas.
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