Theres more to Sydney than the CBD

If you actually take into account the suburbs Sydney is quite a big place and since the trains are easy to use and a fair(ish) price, you should get out of the CBD if you get bored and check out these places.

Cronulla
The first time I went exploring before I even saw the Opera house was to a beach called Cronulla. It's fairly far south of the CBD but I lived in Hurstville which is pretty much half way between the two.

This place pretty much set the stage for my remaining beach days and I think you'll agree, it's not a bad place to start. 😎

Cronulla has two main beaches - North and South Beach. The other beach is smaller but a more cosey beach south.

Cronulla North Beach

If your lucky, you may wittness a surfing competition here

Or even a marriage proposal ❤

Cronulla has a very relaxed beach town vibe to it. There's a jetty you can jump off at Gunnamatta Bay too which is pretty fun and you need not worry about the depth. It's deep!

Coogee
If you walk south from Bondi and keep followimg the coastilne, eventualy you'll come across Coogee. It's great place by day with a really alive and upbeat atmosphere.


You'll meet tones of people in the park nearby, locals and travelers alike.

The Coogee pavilion is the place to be, it's not too pricy either. In fact it's free entry and you'll feel like a member of the millionaires club when you go in since it's basically a mansion on the beach.

Manly

One of my favourite places to visit was Manly which is North Sydney and a great place to go on a Sunday since the ferry is only $2.50 return! The ferry trip alone is a scenic trip and a breath of fresh air. There's also the fast ferry which is well...faster but more expensive.

If you like beach volleyball like me you'll love this place since it has at least 6 courts all on the actual beach and the locals will let you join in. I ended up playing for about 2 hours...whoops 😅

The surf at Manly is great, good for beginners on low tide but the waves pack a punch on high tide as I found out. (during a surfing lesson at Manly Surf School. In fact, I caught the biggest green wave of my life which took me all the way in to shore.

Always be ready to stand up because sometimes the wave will catch you!

Me at Manly after a surf lesson

Manly is also the place to go if you want to come face to face with a shark in shark dive xtreme. A bit costly but you'll be freediving not stuck in a cage. There's also rays and I think turtles as well as other sharks in there so you get to see alot. What an oppertunity!

If you walk to the south you'll come across a pool as well as a smaller more cosey area called Shelly Beach.

This is a nice tucked away marine reserve so a great place for snorkeling as well as more relaxing place then the main beach.

North of Manly, there are many more beaches which unfortunately I didn't explore but I did see that particular coastline another way...

Helicopter flyby of Northen Beaches

One thing I would recomend if you want to get an overall look at Sydney and it's surroundings is a helicopter ride. It's worth paying extra to sit up front in the glass bubble with the pilot 🙂🤙

The view is pretty amazing as you'll see for yourself;
*The Chopper

And the views...




The Big Blue

all photos were taken by me

Tom's Tips

• If your gonna visit, make sure one of the days is a Sunday. It's $2.50 all day with an Opel card! 😉
• Opel cards are for ferries too and the Sunday $2.50 applies! Just getting a ferry is like your on a site seeing tour as they Dock next to the Opera house and many go under the Harbour Bridge.
• Every foughtnight on a Sunday's there's fireworks in Darling Harbour - Viewable from many of the bars and restaurants also.
• Helicopter flights are expensive but really worth it if you've never been in one before.
• Make use of public transport - Use the trains and ferries to get around.
• Go Decembember to Feb - (Summer) Sydney is full of beaches but they are much more enjoyable when the sun is out.

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