A Guide to Sydney Harbour Beaches #3

Welcome to the final blog of the series on Sydney Harbour beaches. In my previous blog I went through the harbour beaches in Sydney Lower North Shore. Here I am moving on to the south side of the harbour and will go through more beaches in the Sydney Eastern Suburb.

Double Bay Beach is the closest beach to the CBD in the east and is right next to the ferry wharf, which means the water is the dirtiest relatively. However, the area is very nice as Double Bay is an upscale shopping precinct where the rich and famous shop and dine. But if you are penniless like me, you can enjoy the beach for free and watch the private school kids go sailing after classes.

My rating: ★★★

Seven Shillings Beach is the second beach in Double Bay. Walking down the stairs from the heritage Woollahra Council building you will reach the Redleaf Pool (which was recently renamed to Murray Rose Pool in honour of the Olympian). It is a popular swimming enclosure with two pontoons in the middle. This is comparable to the one in Balmoral Beach in the north. I personally prefer Balmoral as the water is cleaner.

Beyond the pool there is a gate to the eastern side of the beach, which is an area for boating rather than swimming.

My rating: ★★★

Lady Martins Beach is in Point Piper, the most expensive and exclusive suburb in the whole country. The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull lives here, so do billionaires such as the co-founder of Atlassian who bought a record breaking A$130 million house here in 2022. Many mansions here have waterfront swimming pools or private beaches and a panoramic view of the Opera House, leaving this public beach for the poorer multi-millionaires to board their super yachts when they cannot afford direct harbour access from their own backyards. Anyway, this is not meant for poor intruders like me to swim here.

My rating: ★★

Bellamy Beach is another beach in Point Piper next to the marina with hundred of yachts. It is where rich people walk their dogs and definitely not suitable for swimming.

My rating: ★

Rose Bay Beach is a popular dog beach right behind the Rose Bay shops. It is a large stretch of sand with view of the North Sydney CBD. You can also watch seaplanes taking off and landing next to the beach.

To get there by public transport, catch bus 324 or 325 from the CBD or Edgecliff train station, or catch a ferry to Rose Bay and walk 5 minutes.

My rating: ★★★

Queens Beach is the first of four beaches along the Hermitage Foreshore Walk in Vaucluse. All four beaches are small and west facing with city view, perfect for watching the sunset or the New Year's fireworks.

Again, take bus 324 or 325 to reach the start of the track. The entire track is 2km long and take about 30 minutes to walk, but you will definitely spend more time enjoying the beaches and the views along the way.

My rating: ★★★

Hermit Beach is the second beach on the foreshore walk. It is surrounded by grand estates including the historical house The Hermitage.

My rating: ★★★

Tingara Beach is the smallest beach of the four. Most people would just skip it and head to the more popular Milk Beach next door.

My rating: ★★

Milk Beach and the lush lawn of the historical Strickland Estate up the slope is a popular spot for picnic, sunbathing and swimming. The breathtaking view of the Sydney Harbour is priceless.

My rating: ★★★★

Shark Beach is located in Nielsen Park at the end of the Hermitage Foreshore Walk, and is one of the most popular harbour beaches in Sydney. It became an embarrassing scandal when the beach was closed in early 2022 to repair the damaged seawall. It was planned to complete by late 2022 ready for summer, but the project was delayed and the beach was closed for almost 3 years, sparking much public anger. It was finally reopened in December 2024. The new seawall is a giant piece of concrete overshadowing the beach. While it is convenient for beachgoers to sit on the steps, I found the structure quite overwhelming and ugly.

As for the beach, because it is not located in a bay, the water can get a bit choppy especially when a large ship sails by. There is a shark net to keep you safe (not sure how effective it is though).

To get there, again catch bus 325 from City/Edgecliff, or catch the ferry to Watson Bay followed by bus 325 on the way back (that's what I did), then walk for 5 minutes once off the bus.

My rating: ★★★

Parsley Bay Beach is often considered a hidden gem in Sydney (although it is quite popular with the well-heeled local families). It is located in a long and narrow cove, with the century-old iconic suspension bridge spanning across it. The water is only knee-deep between the beach and the bridge, but you can swim out (or jump down from the rocks) to the shark net and do laps in between. When the water is clean, it is a dreamy place to swim and relax.

My rating: ★★★★

Kutti Beach is the most private and exclusive public beach of all. The only public entrance to the beach is a metre-wide staircase that looks more like a path to someone's private backyard. It is almost not welcoming anyone fat or poor.

Directly behind the beach are the backyards of several large mansions. You may see the rich families partying in their backyards on the weekends. The beach itself is quite tiny and can easily be overcrowded when the weather is nice.

My rating: ★★★

Gibsons Beach is an extension to Watsons Bay Beach. It is relatively less crowded compared to the park and hotels adjacent to the wharf. But with so many private boats moored in front of it, the water may not be as clean. It was so underwhelming that I just walked past it without taking any photo.

My rating: ★★

Watsons Bay Beach is right next to the ferry wharf. The area can be busy and noisy on the weekends. As you can see, the beach is just a space for parking boats. The view is stunning and the atmosphere is laid back, but most people get off the ferry and head to Camp Cove Beach instead.

My rating: ★★

Camp Cove Beach is another popular harbour beach with city view. Being far away from the city and no mooring, the water is usually clean and suitable for swimming.

My rating: ★★★★

Lady Bay Beach is the final beach and one of the three nude beaches in Sydney Harbour along with Cobblers and Obelisk on the opposite side of the harbour. For the naturalists who live on the south side of the Harbour Bridge and find travelling to the north too daunting, this is their preferred nude beach. However, many people walk along the track above the beach to the South Head Lighthouse. There is even a viewing platform overlooking the beach, so there is not much privacy. And as you can see from the photo, the beach disappears during high tide.

My rating: ★★★

This concludes the blog series covering all harbour beaches in Sydney. If you live in Sydney or travelled there before, do you agree with my reviews? Which one is your favourite? And for those planning to visit Sydney, do make sure you visit some of these beaches. There are so much more on offer in Sydney than Bondi and Manly.

Now that you have learnt all the beaches in Sydney Harbour, why not test your memory and try out my map quiz? Have fun!