Sand, Salt and Seafood: A Sydney Beach Experience
While Sydney is famed for its iconic urban locations, it’s also recognized by tourists and locals alike for its beautiful beaches. Away from the steel-edged skyline of the CBD, the city gives way to relaxed cafes and eateries clustered around the stunning alabaster sprawl of Bondi, one of Australia’s most famous beaches. Further away from the city’s centre, other lovely offerings include Avalon, Manley and Bilgola Beaches, each accompanied by their own posse of restaurants and activities. If you’re looking to put up your feet and kick back for a few days, or go swimming in the turquoise waters, this itinerary will help you do just that. In addition to your normal luggage, you’ll need to bring swimmers, towels, hats and sunscreen – Sydney summers are hot, hot, hot, and you don’t want to be left red-faced when your holiday’s over.
| Balmoral Beach | |
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| For those who can’t function without coffee, a great early-morning breakfast destination is Beach House Balmoral Restaurant and Café, a breezy open-air eatery that gazes out at Balmoral Beach. It’s a twenty-minute drive from Club Wyndham Sydney, but once you arrive, you can reward yourself with a choice from their Italian-style breakfast menu and a cup of their Fairtrade Arabica coffee. To get there, it’s a great idea to use Sydney’s ferry service – walk or taxi to Circular Quay, catch an F6 ferry to Mosman Bay Wharf, and then taxi to the café. After brekky, the temperate atmosphere’s perfect for going out onto the water. While there’s a number of different activities, one of the best |  |
| is the kayaking experience offered by Sydney Harbour Kayaks. You can rent a kayak in hour-long intervals, allowing you to spend as little or as much time as you like paddling around the Middle Harbour; the company also rents out waterproof cameras, allowing you to get some happy snaps of the family expedition. They’re located at the Spit Bridge, which is a six-minute drive from Beach House Balmoral. After you’ve worked up an appetite kayaking, drive back to Balmoral Beach for lunch. It’s a five-minute drive from the Spit Bridge to the Bathers’ Pavilion, one of Balmoral’s most iconic locations; the restaurant/café combination is based in a white-washed 1920s establishment that exudes a Grecian grandeur. They offer a range of affordable dishes with a fresh, zesty vibe, including a selection of wood-fired pizzas. Once lunch settles, you can either taxi to Taronga Zoo, or access it via an extended hour-and-a-half hike around the Middle Head. As one of Australia’s most famous zoos, Taronga features over 340 animal species, many of which can be viewed with the Sydney Harbour as a beautiful backdrop. Adult tickets cost $42.30, and give you full access to the park, including animal exhibits like the Sumatran Tigers, Asian Elephants, giraffes and gorillas. For dinner, taxi or walk back to Balmoral Beach, and head to Bottom of the Harbour Seafoods. Widely renowned as one of Balmoral Beach’s premier fish-and-chips shops, it’s got all the good stuff on menu – hot seafood, burgers, salads, muffins, coffee, milkshakes and juices. Grab a battered fish and chips with a few sides of crumbed calamari and head down to the sand as the sun sets behind you. |
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| Bondi Beach | |
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 | If you’re going to Sydney for the sand and the surf, it’s almost obligatory to visit Bondi. The one-kilometre stretch of beach is arguably Australia’s most famous, and has a culture and identity of its own. When you and your family are looking for breakfast, you’re spoiled for choice; Campbell Avenue is packed with restaurants and cafes, and has a vast array of options. One of the best? Trio Bondi Beach. Offering a range of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, it’s a friendly little café with both indoor and al fresco dining, offering a fantastic view of the surf. Best of all, it’s a leisurely sixteen-minute taxi ride from Wyndham. |
| After breakfast, it’s time to get in the water. There’s a good range of activities on offer, including water-skiing, kayaking and paddle-boarding, but, if you’re a surfer, Salt Dog Bondi Rentals offer daily hire of boards for a fixed rate of $15, and stock medium to large sizes. If you prefer swimming, make sure to sunscreen up before heading out into the waves, and be sure to avoid the beach’s notorious rips. There are two permanent locations – one near the north end of the beach, the other near the south. When you’re starting to get hungry, towel off and head to North Bondi Fish, located on Ramsgate Avenue at the northernmost tip of the beach. Boasting a relaxed atmosphere and a panoramic view of the ocean, it’s a modern seafood restaurant that embodies cruisy Bondi chic with a reasonably-priced menu. Dishes range from oysters with seaweed and mountain pepper mignonette to VB-battered flathead and Moreton Bag bug linguini, as well as salad options for vegetarians. Post-lunch, its decision time. There’s still plenty to do on the beach – go swimming, recline on the sand, try your hand at a new activity like wakeboarding or snorkelling. If you’ve had your fill of sun, however, we recommend an extended browse of Bondi’s fantastic boutique shopping stores. On Sunday, the Bondi Farmers’ Market is open until four in the afternoon, but if you’re there during the week, locations like Gould Street and Westfield Bondi Junction play host to an eclectic range of storefronts that stock everything from designer labels to locally-designed homewares. After a hard day of shopping, swimming and relaxing, you’ll probably need to refill your tanks with a stop at Italian-inspired Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Positioned with an incredible view of Bondi, it offers indoor dining or summer seating on the Icebergs Terrace, which overlooks the sweep of the South Pacific and picks up balmy ocean breezes. Their a-la-carte menu pays homage to seasonal Italian flavours, and uses fresh, local ingredients to provide a delicious range of dishes. |
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| Cronulla Beach | |
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| Cronulla Beach is about fifty minutes from Club Wyndham Sydney, but the drive is definitely worth it. While the beach itself is known for its family-friendly amenities and great surf breaks, the areas surrounding it are just as exciting. Cronulla State Park flanks the northernmost section of the beach, while to the south, across Port Hacking, is the picturesque Royal National Park, a secluded haven riddled with walking trails that provide access to remote beaches, stunning costal cliffs, and inland rivers. You’ll need to hire a car to get there – both Europcar and Avis have rental locations not far from Club Wyndham Sydney. Eating breakfast before you leave is a definite must, but there’s plenty of cafes within a few minutes’ walk of the resort, so you won’t head off on an empty stomach. Once you arrive, there’s free parking at the South Cronulla Beach public car park on Gerrale Street, which is right beside the beach itself. There’s a range of things to do – recline on the sand or on the turf in Cronulla Park, take a long walk along the North Cronulla Beach, go swimming in the ocean, or bath in either of the two rock pools available. The netted areas provide safe and comfortable paddling zones, perfect for when the surf’s a bit rough or if you’ve got younger children. |
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| For lunch, head to Barefoot on the Beach, a relaxed beachside café with premium positioning that gazes out across the ocean. They offer a traditional brunch menu with a health-focused twist, as well as delicious coffees and inventive juices. Refuelled? Time to burn the calories with a trip to the Royal National Park. A good parking spot is Royal National Park Parking, along Sir Betram Stevens Drive near the Hacking River. The Winifred Track/Winifred Fire Trail is a beautiful bushwalking track that culminates in the Winifred Falls; the waterfall is surrounded by eucalypts and wattles, and the white water pouring off shelves of rust-coloured stone makes for a gorgeous photo opportunity. Best of all, the trail is only |  |
| about a kilometre long one-way, and is rated as easy/moderate, as well as being family-friendly. If you still haven’t had your fill of sand and sun, Wattamolla Beach is a sheltered gem on the south side of the park; featuring a strip of white sand, a lagoon, calm ocean waters and a waterfall, it’s a nice way to cool off after hiking. Parking is available just off Wattamolla Road. When you start to feel the cool evening breezes blowing in from the ocean, pack up the towels and sunscreen and drive back to Cronulla for dinner. Summer Salt Restaurant is a lovely casual dining experience, and the perfect capstone for a day of hiking and swimming. Sliding glass doors and white furniture accentuate the restaurant’s upscale ambience, tying in nicely with an Australian menu lightly paired with Asian influences. Try the chef’s signature oven-roast duck with a Riesling or Pinot Noir from their hand-picked wine list. | |
Ready to explore? Book your next stay at Club Wyndham Sydney
 | Balmoral Beach House (Breakfast Hours: 7 – 11:30am) https://www.gpogrand.com/beach-house-italian-seafood-restaurant-cafe-balmoral 2 Awaba Street, Mosman (02) 9229 7760 Sydney Harbour Kayaks (Summer Hours: 9am – 5pm, 7:30am – 5pm weekends): https://www.sydneyharbourkayaks.com.au/ Smith’s Boat Shed, 81 Parriwi Road, The Spit Bridge, Mosman (02) 9969 4590 Bathers’ Pavilion (7am – 9:30pm): http://batherspavilion.com.au/ 4 The Esplanade, Mosman (02) 9969 5050 Taronga Zoo (9:30am – 5:00pm): https://taronga.org.au/sydney-zoo Bradley’s Head Road, Mosman (02) 9969 2777 Bottom of the Harbour (9am – 8pm): https://www.bottomoftheharbour.com.au/ 21 The Esplanade, Mosman (02) 9969 7911 |
 | Trio Bondi Beach (7am – 3pm, 7:30am – 3:30pm weekends): https://www.triocafe.com.au/ 56 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach (02) 9365 6044 Salt Dog Bondi Rentals (10am – 5pm): https://www.bondi-hire-surfboard-kayak-paddleboard-bike-gopro.com/ 16 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach North Bondi Fish (12pm – 11:45pm, 11:30am – 11:45pm weekends): https://www.northbondifish.com.au/ 120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi (02) 9130 2155 Icebergs Dining Room and Bar (12pm – 12am, 10am – 12pm Sundays): http://idrb.com/dining-room/ 1 Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach (02) 9365 9000 |
 | Europcar Sydney City (7:30am – 6pm, 8am – 5pm weekends): https://www.europcar.com.au/places/australia/sydney/ 26-36 College Street, Sydney (02) 82559050 Avis Car Rental (8am – 6pm, 8am – 12pm weekends): https://www.avis.com.au/en/locations/au/ns/sydney/ 395 Pitt Street, Sydney (02) 8255 1616 Barefoot on the Beach (6:30am – 2:30pm, 7am – 3:30pm weekends): https://www.facebook.com/barefootonthebeachcafe/ 30 Gerrale Street, Cronulla (02) 9544 5446 Royal National Park: https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/ Always remember to check their website for alerts and safety updates. Summer Salt Restaurant (Dinner Times: 6pm – 10pm Wed, Thurs, Fri, 5:30pm – 10pm Sat, 5:30 – 9pm Sun, closed Mondays and Tuesdays): http://www.summersalt.com.au/ 66 Mitchell Road, Cronulla (02) 9523 2366 |
