Best Kid-Friendly Beaches In Sydney

We moved to Sydney with a 3.5-year-old as summer has just begun, and we spent most of our free time on beaches in the following months. And for the rest of the year.

Ah, no other city in the world can beat Sydney when it comes to beaches (does anyone want to challenge that statement? I’d love to hear from you). In this post we collected the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney that we found – and I’m sure we haven’t found all of them yet.

Even though we visited a different beach each time we could, it seems that Sydney has an endless number of them. Fabulous, sandy beaches with crystal clear, turquoise waters, some of them are long, others are shorter, some have strong surf, others offer sheltered, protected water. There are ocean beaches, harbor beaches, baths and ocean pools. So let’s see the best beaches in Sydney for kids – and for their parents, too.

What makes a beach kid-friendly?

First thing first, let’s clarify the factors I considered when putting together this list. There are actually several factors that make a beach family-friendly, and they mainly relate to safety, accessibility, comfort and entertainment.

Safety

It’s the wild ocean you have access to in Sydney, and ocean currents can be dangerous – not only to kids. Strong currents are responsible for more deaths than any of Australia’s infamous animals. So safety comes first. The safest beaches in Sydney have lifeguards on duty, clear signage that indicate water conditions and a designated swimming area. Most of the Sydney beaches have lifeguards between November and April, and if there’s a lifeguard you can be sure there are flags, too, to indicate the area which is safe for a swim.

Beaches with shallow waters, gentle waves and a gradual entry are the best for kids, especially for younger ones. Sydney has some of those, especially inside Sydney Harbour, but many of the ocean beaches have strong waves and currents which make them great for surfing, but less for swimming. To give a safe option for swimmers, rockpools are established at several beaches, and some of them are specifically for kids.

Accessibility

The easiest way to access a beach with kids, especially with babies and toddlers, is to drive there, park there and enjoy the beach. The more walking it requires, the more hassle it is for parents. While we love wild beaches, and usually don’t mind the hassle to get there (it’s part of the adventure), this post focuses on those Sydney beaches that are easy to access.

It’s usually possible to drive to any of the city beaches, what might be challenging is parking. Due to limited parking, you might end up walking 10-15 minutes to the beach. Some of the beaches are also very long. You need to decide which area you’d like to visit, then find parking close to that.

Our tip: have a beach cart where you can toss all toys, food, drinks, clothes and whatever else you need for the day. Then even if you can’t find parking right by the beach, it’s relatively easy to get there, and take ALL your staff there.

Amenities

Sydney city beaches are all clean, well-managed and have enough trash bins. Lots of them offer restrooms, showers and changing facilities which is super convenient to rinse the sand and dirt off and change into clean clothes at the end of the day.

Picnic areas with benches, tables, BBQ facilities make it convenient to have your lunch or dinner at the beach. Some picnic areas are covered, so you can escape the heat of the day while having lunch. I picked beaches that offer picnic areas or at least shady parks nearby.

Restaurants, snack bars and convenience stores near the beach make your stay more comfortable. If you forget to bring something, you can buy it, and you don’t need to bring that much food and drinks either.

Shade

Natural shade itself is a feature on the beach, and most of the beautiful sandy beaches in Sydney don’t offer much. But some get shaded in the afternoon, and some have trees behind the beach.

I definitely recommend having your own sunshade and wearing wide brim hats and rash guards during the hottest part of the day. The harsh Australian sun is hard on the skin, and not only on the sensitive skin of little ones, but on adults’ skin, too.

Entertainment

While I don’t think any additional entertainment is required for kids when they have access to sand and water, having a playground behind the beach can still be nice. It offers different activities than the usual beach day, and we actually visit beach playgrounds the most in the colder months when going to the beach doesn’t mean going in the water.

Beach volleyball courts, mini-golf courts or water sports equipment rentals can make the beach day more exciting for older kids.

Top 3 family-friendly beaches in Sydney with shallow water and gentle waves

So my picks as the best kid-friendly beaches are all very sheltered and have calm waters, and some even have netted swimming enclosures. They are far enough from car parks and roads so that parents don’t need to worry about their little ones running wildly around, but they are easy enough to access and have all the amenities you need, including a playground. They have spacious sandy and grassy areas for kids to crawl and play, with some shaded areas, as well.

Here they are, my top 3 – if you’d like to read more about any of them, just click on the name:

• Clifton Gardens: a protected, sandy beach in Sydney Harbour with calm water, netted baths, a large playground and a grassy area with benches and picnic tables
• Clovelly Beach: the best kid-friendly beach in the Eastern Suburbs, Clovelly Bay is very protected, with no surf at all, and there’s also a rock pool for kids, and a small playground that’s ideal for toddlers.
• Little Manly Beach: 10 minutes walk from Manly Wharf, this delightful west-facing cove on the Sydney Harbour is ideal for little ones, with netted baths, calm waters and nearby Little Manly Point playground, a shaded, nice playground, best for babies and toddlers.

Now let’s see all the best Sydney beaches for families.

All the best kid-friendly beaches in Sydney, ordered by area

I had the highlights above, and now the goal is to give you a list of all the best beaches for kids in Sydney. So the list is long, and I’ll keep adding new findings to it. If you’re only interested in a certain area, simply scroll there.

Sydney Harbour beaches

What we love about them: being in the harbor, they’re very protected, their gentle waves are perfect for family beach days.

What we don’t like about them: Sydney Harbor beaches are among the tiniest beaches you find in Sydney, so they can actually get crowded, which is rarely a problem in the Eastern Suburbs or in the Northern Beaches. Driving to them is not a problem, but depending on where you live, it can take surprisingly long to drive to these beaches, and parking is challenging in some areas.

The Sydney Harbour beaches are urban beaches, and they feel urban. This will be an advantage for some, and a disadvantage to others.

Balmoral Beach

When listing the best family beaches in Sydney, we can’t miss Balmoral Beach. It’s very popular, because it’s a sheltered beach and offers lots of amenities, like a nautically-themed, fenced playground, cafés, fish and chip shops, other dining opportunities and the baths.

Balmoral Baths is an enclosed (netted), very safe area, ideal for toddlers and preschoolers. Hunter Park behind the trees has shaded picnic benches, and you find picnic areas between the Bathers’ Pavilion and the Beach Club, and also south of the baths. Most picnic areas are nicely shaded thanks to the huge fig trees, and there is shade on Balmoral Beach at the baths area and south of it (mostly in the afternoon).

You can stroll along The Esplanade, or walk to Rocky Point Island across a bridge. Rocky Point actually splits this long bay into two: Balmoral Beach being south of it, and Edwards Beach being in the north.

There is paid parking along The Esplanade, but you can find free street parking in the side streets. It’s very busy on weekends though, and parking gets challenging.

• Parking: paid parking along The Esplanade, free street parking in the side streets
• Toilets: yes (three public toilet blocks)
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Northbridge Baths

The free to enter netted baths, with boardwalk all around, are popular among locals, and it’s a gem for families with small kids. Though it’s unsupervised, the baths have calm water as they’re located in a small, sheltered bay in the Middle Harbour. The shallow area in the beginning is great for babies and toddlers, then there’s deep water for swimming and a diving area.

The sandy beach area only exists at low tide, and there’s a picnic area with BBQ, a large grassy area with shade, change rooms, toilets and hot showers. You find a free car park, too, but the baths are steep downhill from there which is a bit challenging with a stroller or beach cart.

• Parking: free car park
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: no
• Playground: no

Clifton Gardens

sunny winter day at Clifton Gardens (you won’t have the option to take picture of the EMPTY beach in summer)

Clifton Gardens Reserve offers everything a family needs for a fun day outside: a protected, sandy beach with calm water, netted baths, a playground, a large grassy area, picnic tables and coastal walking trails, because the bay is between two bush-covered headlands. Oh, and let’s not forget about the fabulous Sydney Harbour views!

Half of the beach area is the netted swimming enclosure, and it’s a very safe place to enjoy water with kids. The Clifton Gardens playground has a large climbing structure with a tunnel slide, spider web and lots of swings. It’s exciting for older kids, too, but there’s also a fenced toddler playground.

Occasionally you find an ice cream van in the park, and there are restaurants at the east side of Chowder Bay along with a small kiosk (which has quite random opening hours).

Overall, it’s a great beach getaway in Sydney, not very centrally located, but quite popular among local families. It offers tons of choices for outdoorsy fun, so it’s great to visit any time of the year, not just in summer. I walked the coastal trail from Chowder Bay to Bradleys Head and Taronga Zoo Wharf with my toddler, and it’s a delightful walk (but not stroller-friendly).

Parking in the designated car park is very expensive though. Up on the hill you can find free street parking, but then you have to walk a bit. Or you can do a drop off at the beach before parking if both parents are present.

• Parking: (very expensive) car park, or free street parking nearby (up the hill)
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: restaurants at the east side of the beach
• Playground: yes

Clontarf Beach

Clontarf Beach is another very popular kid-friendly beach in Sydney, especially among families with babies and toddlers. It has netted baths with shallow, calm water, a large shaded playground and park behind the beach, and also a cafe and kiosk.

the harsh summer sun kills every color in my pictures 😀

There’s no surf on Clontarf Beach, the water entrance is very gradual, and there’s a bath area with shark net. There are lots of boats to see in the bay which is an additional excitement to vehicle-obsessed kids like mine. Moreover, the ice cream boat makes regular stops here on summer weekends.

There’s no shade on the beach, but the park is full of large trees. The car park here is quite expensive, too, but if you walk a few minutes, you can find free street parking.

• Parking: (very expensive) car park, or free street parking nearby
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Watsons Bay Baths

Watsons Bay has a small, protected beach, but the enclosed baths are past the wharf. They have a boardwalk around, great for older kids to jump in. Younger ones can enjoy the shallow water, though the tiny beach within the enclosure can disappear during high tide.

Robertson Park playground is only a short walk away from the baths, it’s a fenced and shaded playground, mainly for younger kids. You find plenty of places for a picnic in the large park.

Our favorite way to get to Watsons Bay? Catching a ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay, which is already a special treat for our 3-year-old, and I have to admit I can’t get bored of the views either.

• Parking: paid car park, limited street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: no
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes (short walk from the baths)

Murray Rose Pool (previously called Redleaf Pool)

Murray Rose Pool is a large (90×60 m), netted harbor pool in Double Bay, with two floating pontoons inside and a boardwalking around the pool. It’s part of Seven Shillings Beach, which is a narrow strip of sand, nice for building sandcastles and taking in the views of Darling Point and Point Piper. The water is usually very calm, ideal for kids to learn swimming.

There’s a small café and shaded, grassy area nearby. Parking is very challenging though, with time limited street parking in the area.

• Parking: limited street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: small café/kiosk
• Playground: no

Parsley Bay Beach

Parsley Beach is your little slice of hidden heaven. The small, netted beach, sandy area, lush green lawn and shaded picnic tables are great for families to spend a beach day. It’s also a good snorkeling spot, and ideal for small kids to start practicing here.

There’s even a playground and a small kiosk nearby, just to deliver the amenities kids and their parents appreciate the most. You find a walking track leading up to the bush if you’re in the mood for a coastal hike, and the bridge that links The Crescent with Fitzwilliam Street is also accessible from the beach.

The only disadvantage? Though there’s a free car park (entrance from Horler Avenue off Parsley Road), parking gets very tricky here on summer weekends. It’s a small neighborhood and a small beach, so even relatively smaller crowds cause challenges here.

• Parking: yes
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: small kiosk
• Playground: yes

Eastern Suburbs beaches

Quite a few of the legendary Sydney beaches are in the Eastern suburbs, but you can find barely known gems, too. What we love about them: most of these beaches are long and wide golden sand beaches, crushed by giant waves – exactly how you imagined Sydney beaches, or saw them on postcards.

Lots of them are connected by incredibly scenic coastal pathways. Actually, you can walk from Maroubra Beach all the way to Bondi Beach on a coastal path (with only a very short section through residential streets), and part of this route is even stroller-friendly.

What we don’t like about them: with a few exceptions, Eastern Suburbs beaches have strong surf, and they are not the typical safe swimming beaches. Parking often requires some effort, because most of these beaches are popular. They offer space to spread out though.

Let’s see the best of the Eastern Suburbs beaches for families.

Bondi Beach & pools

I don’t need to introduce Bondi Beach to anyone, right? But did you also know that it has a sheltered kiddy rock pool at the northern end of the bay, and a shallow, small pool for kids within the Bondi Icebergs?

So while Bondi Beach has big surf, and it’s a very popular surfing beach, especially among beginners, it’s possible to find those areas where young kids can safely play and practice in the water.

The children’s rock pool in the north is protected enough, though larger waves can crash in a bit, only making it more fun. The zero depth entry is sandy and great even for babies. Nice cafes, a grassy park and a small playground, mainly for the youngest kids, are right behind the rock pool. 

There’s a larger, fully fenced playground near the Bondi Pavilion (in the middle of Bondi Park), with lots of shade and gorgeous beach views. The beachfront promenade is nice to take a walk and find a place to eat.

As for the crowds, it’s a large beach, but yes, it gets crowded, because it’s a very touristy place (probably the only Sydney beaches that every visitor wants to tick off their list). Though there’s space to spread out on the sand, parking is a real challenge. There are two car parks, their entrances are off Campbell Parade, but they’re quite expensive and very crowded on weekends.

Bondi Beach is nice and can be family-friendly, and I don’t want to leave it out from this list (because it’s Bondi Beach, obviously), but in all honesty, it’s not among our favorites. Sydney has so many wonderful beaches, and most of them are quieter and less of a hassle to drive to.

• Parking: two (quite expensive) car parks
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Bronte Beach & Baths

Bronte Beach is one I passionately love, as a mum and as a beach lover. It’s especially heavenly for little kids, because there’s the iconic Bronte Baths, the Bogey Hole rock pool, a miniature railway for the kids to ride on weekends, plenty of grass and fine, white sand, shaded picnic tables, cafes and kiosks and a great playground.

The Bogey Hole is a big natural rock pool at the southern end of Bronte Beach, and it has a sandy entrance and shallow water, ideal for small kids to play and get familiar with water. Bronte Baths on the other hand is an ocean pool, with deep water, but protected from the waves (that sometimes crash into it).

There’s a wide, stroller-friendly (or pram-friendly, as they call it here) promenade behind the beach, it’s part of the beautiful Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk. The two headlands at each side of the bay offer wonderful views! Some of the shaded picnic boxes are also up on the hill, we like having a scenic picnic lunch there.

The playground is further back in the park behind the beach. It has a nice, colorful octopus figure, a spinning rope pyramid, swings, a cute toy boat, a wooden climbing and slide structure and a sandbox with a small baby swing and a tiny slide for the youngest ones.

• Parking: street parking (can be challenging on weekends)
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Clovelly Beach

Though Clovelly Beach is less scenic than Bronte, and has a much more artificial feel, it’s just as perfect for small kids. The beach at the end of the long, narrow Clovelly Bay is very sheltered, and it almost feels like a rock pool, because concrete sunbathing platforms and promenades frame the bay on both sides.

Clovelly Beach has a flat sandy area, great for babies and toddlers, and you find a small playground and a grassy meadow behind the beach. There’s an actual rock pool, as well, a 25 meter long swimming pool on the southern side of the bay. Seasalt Cafe is right above the water, offering both indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Parking is easy enough, as the beach has a huge free car park. The only downside is that you have a 4 hour time limit. But if you plan to stay for a full day, simply park on the nearby streets.

• Parking: yes (free, time limited car park, unlimited street parking in the area)
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Coogee Beach

This was the first beach where I swam in Sydney – when visiting as a tourist, years before we moved here. I didn’t look at it with the eyes of a parent back then, but it’s a good family beach, too.

As on most eastern Sydney beaches the surf is rough for children, though not as rough as on Maroubra, Tamarama or Bronte beaches. But the ocean pool has a separate toddler splash area, there’s a wonderful playground on the headland, right above the southern end of the bay and the beachfront promenade is stroller-friendly.

Obviously, there’s the soft, golden sand for the kids, and since Coogee Beach is on a flight path to Sydney Airport, you can often catch sight of large planes flying over – a sight that excites most young kids. Mums can find several cafes on Arden Street.

• Parking: car park at the northern end of the beach (time limited and paid parking), limited street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes (right above the beach)

Little Bay Beach

I immediately felt like I was on a beach in the Mediterranean when we visited Little Bay Beach. This little bay is south of Malabar Beach, it’s sheltered and has a dreamy azure color. Despite being an ocean beach, it usually doesn’t have any surf, is protected from the wind, and the water gets deep gradually.

The bay has a circular shape, and it’s small (by Australian standards), enclosed by headlands to the south and north. The rock formations are quite pretty and exciting to explore with kids.

Little Bay rock pool, also called Little Bay baths, is at the southern end of the bay, but we haven’t tried it. The waves are so gentle and the water so calm in Little Bay that I don’t see why you would need it. Moreover, the coastal rocks provide lots of natural rock pools as the tide changes.

Little Bay Beach has no official car park, and parking directly by the beach is close to impossible. We usually park further away, in one of the quiet residential streets, then walk 10-15 minutes. But beach carts are not such a good idea here, because you have to take a steep timber staircase to access the beach. Halfway down you find the toilet, shower and changing room. In exchange for the stairway access, the bay doesn’t feel like an urban beach – even though it is.

There is a playground, but a bit further from the beach: Coast Hospital Memorial Park Playground. (Make sure to use the toilet on your way up the stairs, as there’s no toilet further up.) The playground is small, fenced and mostly shaded by sails. Young kids will especially love the cute boat.

• Parking: limited street parking directly by the beach, unrestricted street parking a bit further away
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes, at the top of the beach
• Playground: Coast Hospital Memorial Park Playground nearby

Malabar Beach

Malabar Beach is in the bay north of Little Bay, and they’re actually quite similar. Malabar Beach is also a relatively small sandy bay with gentle surf, usually safe for swimming and ideal for small kids to get familiar with the ocean. It also has a rock pool on the southern foreshore below Randwick Golf Club.

But unlike Little Bay Beach, there’s no stairway to conquer here, and there’s a park directly behind the beach. It offers a toilet block with change rooms and showers, picnic benches and a playground.

Parking is manageable. Even if you can’t find available spots in the beach car park (which easily happens on a summer weekend), there’s plenty of free street parking a few minutes walk away, and nearby Pioneers Park has a large, free parking lot without a time limit.

• Parking: yes (free, but time limited beach car park and street parking)
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes (small kiosk)
• Playground: yes

Manly beaches

Manly is a beach community on the Northern Beaches. Part of it faces Sydney Harbour and part of it faces the open sea, so it has a range of different beaches and coves.

Shelly Beach

Thanks to its orientation Shelly Beach is a safe swimming beach, and quite sheltered (not as much as the harbour beaches). It’s also a great place for beginner snorkelers as there’s abundant marine life. Toddlers can play in the shallows, with gentle waves coming, and the beach has fine golden sand, exactly what you got used to in Sydney.

Behind the sandy beach you find a grassy area with a few picnic benches and free electronic BBQs, and the Shelly Beach walking track that takes you to a nice lookout, or even further around the peninsula.

Not far from Shelly Beach, along the promenade towards Manly Beach, you find the Fairy Bower ocean pool, a scenic, small, triangle shaped rock pool. It’s far from a decent sized swimming pool, but is safe for a dip any time. And the oceanfront promenade that connects Shelly Beach with Manly Beach, then runs all the way behind Manly Beach is a lovely stroller-friendly walking route.

Parking is very challenging at Shelly Beach, just like anywhere else in Manly. Coming from the CBD your best bet is to take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly Wharf, then walk. It’s a scenic ferry ride and Manly is worth a day trip.

• Parking: very limited (paid beach car park; time limited parking on the streets)
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: no
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: no

Little Manly Beach

But the best beach in Manly with young kids? Little Manly Cove. This small, protected bay faces the inner harbour and has very calm water. The shallow, netted swimming enclosure is ideal for babies and toddlers, the park behind the beach has been recently upgraded, and further up the hill you find a nice playground (at Little Manly Point).

Parking is as challenging as it gets in Manly’s center, I’ve never even thought about it. It’s a 10 minutes walk from Manly Wharf, and taking the ferry is the best way to visit.

• Parking: very limited
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes (kiosk)
• Playground: yes

The Northern Beaches

Ah, the Northern Beaches. It’s the name of a neighborhood in Sydney – how cool is that? Whether the beaches of the Eastern Suburbs or the Northern Beaches are the most wonderful is a debate similar to the East Coast vs. West Coast debate in the USA.

Since we’ve been living in a community further from the coast, but behind the Northern Beaches, they are the closest to us, and we know them the best. Hence I’m very proud that I didn’t list all of them here, but picked those few that I think are the most family-friendly.

What we love about the beaches here: they are long, never feel crowded, most of them have a wild and remote feel, and of all the Sydney beaches they feel the least urban – yet they have excellent facilities and relatively hassle-free parking options.

What we didn’t like about them: they are rough surfing beaches with powerful waves, none of them are sheltered, and they are rarely suitable for swimming. But all of them have ocean rock pools to compensate for this.

Avalon Beach

Though you can usually “swim between the flags” at Avalon Beach, the large waves make it challenging, most people go wading – which is quite fun in giant waves! Wading can be fun with kids, though you need to be very careful with little kids. You better stay in knee-deep water and hold your baby in your hand to make it a delightful experience for both of you. Older toddlers might enjoy the large waves, but stay within arms reach of them, even better if you hold their hands. Unexpected waves can knock you off your feet, and it can be a scary experience for a little kid.

But Avalon Beach offers tons of other fun things beyond the large waves. The southern end of the bay is the best for families with small kids. There are rocks and tide pools to explore at low tide, and there are two protected ocean rock pools, one is a shallow kiddie pool. There’s zero shade by the rock pools though, so make sure to put hats and rash guards not only on the kids, but cover yourself, too.

There’s a cafe with ocean views right on the beach, and a small playground surrounded by a large grassy area in Des Creagh Reserve. Older kids will love the skate park. And there’s the seemingly endless golden sand to play in – do I need to add this?

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Collaroy Beach

Collaroy Beach is another large patch of golden sand, the Collaroy-Narrabeen Beach is actually the second longest beach in Sydney, being 3.6 km. It usually has strong surf and big waves (swim between the flags), and the southern end of the beach is the best for families. There are two sheltered rock pools, one is a shallow kids’ pool.

South of the rock pools there’s a large rock platform which is revealed when the tide is low. It has lots of small tidal pools, and kids usually find it more fun than anything else.

The playground is also at the southern end of the bay, right behind Collaroy Beach. It’s fenced and shaded, has lots of accessible and sensory equipment, nice view of the beach and usually a cooling sea breeze, too. Parents will appreciate the kid-friendly cafes on Pittwater Road, too.

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Dee Why Beach

Dee Why Beach is one of our favorites in any season. It’s a popular surfing beach, and kids can have fun with their boogie boards in the waves, or in the rockpool. Older kids and adults can sign up for surf lessons.

Hours fly easily when taking a walk on the beach, along Dee Why Lagoon or further towards the Long Reef Headland. The coastal trail from Dee Why to Curl Curl Beach is one of the most scenic coastal hikes in the Northern Beaches. The beach promenade is stroller-friendly.

Dee Why Beach has no shade, and it can get quite windy (not surprisingly, it’s true for most surfing beaches), so simple umbrellas won’t do it here. Use a beach cabana or a beach tent to have a shady rest area on a hot summer day. The park behind the beach also offers some shade.

There’s a children’s rock pool next to the 50 m lap pool at the southern end of the bay. The route there is stroller-friendly, there’s a spacious sitting area and a toilet right by the two rock pools, which makes the Dee Why Rockpool one of the best family-friendly rock pools in Sydney.

The fenced playground is up on the small hill, offering fabulous beach views. A strip of cafes and restaurants are right behind the beach, along The Strand.

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes
• Playground: yes

Freshwater Beach

Freshwater Beach is among the most sheltered beaches on the Northern Beaches, but it still has a good surf. The water is quite shallow for a relatively long time, which makes it a great beach for boogie boarding and wading with kids. At low tide sand bars might create shallow ponds – great for babies and toddler to splash safely.

The ocean pool is at the northern end of the bay, and it takes a walk along the headland to get there (it’s a paved walkway, not recommended barefoot as it gets very hot). There’s only one pool, no separate kids’ pool.

You can find a small playground in the adjoining park, with some nice beach views. There are also shaded picnic tables and electric barbecues (a very Australian thing), and a kiosk at the life saving club.

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes (by the beach life saving club and by the rock pool)
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes (small kiosk at the life saving club)
• Playground: yes

Mona Vale Beach

Mona Vale Beach is known for its big surf, but I think it also has the most scenic rock pool in Sydney, located on a rock platform between two bays. Because you get two bays here: Basin Beach is the north one, it’s smaller and somewhat more sheltered than Mona Vale Beach in the south. However, The Basin has no patrolled area.

For families the best place to be is the meeting of the two bays. There you find two rock pools, one is a shallow pool for toddlers. They have terrific ocean views, and the wide rock platform next to them is fun to explore as the tide is falling. But it’s usually windy out here, so make sure you have windproof sunshade.

Mona Vale Beach is about 1 km long. I’ve never actually swam here, because the waves are often giant – but I love walking on the beach and admiring them for the same reason. Watching the surfers is fun, too.

There’s no playground with beach views here, but you find a great playground in Apex Park, just behind the beach car park.

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes (small kiosk at the life saving club)
• Playground: yes (in nearby Apex Park)

South Curl Curl Beach

I know I’ve already announced a winner for the title of the “best rock pool for kids on the Northern Beaches”, but the South Curl Curl Rock pool makes me rethink that decision. This is a zero-depth rock pool that’s getting deeper very gradually, offering great water play options for babies, toddler and older kids alike. Since the lap swim area is not a separate pool, only separated by a concrete barrier inside the pool, it’s great for families to swim and play together. If that wouldn’t be enough, a rock platform with shallow tidal pools is also included in the pool area. Oh, and wonderful views of Curl Curl Beach.

So the rock pool is fantastic at South Curl Curl Beach, and its location couldn’t be better. Unlike on some other beaches where the sandy beach area is further from the rock pool, here they are a few steps away. Moreover, the southern edge of the bay is relatively sheltered, so little ones can enjoy the waves and the rocky area.

Otherwise, South Curl Curl Beach is one of the typical north shore ocean beaches: it has big surf (too rough for swimming most of the time), it’s backed up by sand dunes, a lovely promenade and a grassy park. There’s also a cafe with scenic views at the life saving club.

• Parking: beach car park (paid) or street parking
• Toilets: yes
• Changing rooms: yes
• Showers: yes
• Cafés and dining: yes (cafe at the life saving club)
• Playground: no