MY TOP 3 FAVOURITE SYDNEY BEACHES

'It may no longer be summer, yet their are still plenty of reasons to visit the beach this Winter!'

I'm not someone who loves to visit beaches merely to swim (for me the water is far too cold for majority of the year to do that). I rather love to walk alongside the beach path, visit the nearby cafes and take in the beautiful ocean views. Having lived on the coast for the majority of my life and being a 5-15 minute drive from the beach, I've realised how much I've taken this for granted. Now that Jacob and I live in Baulkham Hills (Sydney's west), I no longer have ocean views from our home. It takes a long and expensive drive with tolls and traffic to get to the beach. With this however, I have developed a gratitude for living on the coast and now know my favourite Sydney beaches.

SHELLY BEACH (MANLY)

Having grown up on the Northern Beaches my family would often visit Manly in the summer and as kids my siblings and I would climb the rocks along the shore to Shelly Beach. Shelly beach is a smaller beach which is only a short walk from Manly beach. It is a popular snorkeling spot and is simply stunning. I may be a little bias from developing such fond memories here as a child but I don't think I would be the only one to recommend this beach as being a good one!

There are plenty of cafes and places to eat in the street that connects Manly wharf to Manly beach. You can either travel directly to Manly/Shelly beach or take the ferry from the city to make a day trip out of it.

The walk to Shelly Beach

CRONULLA

If I could choose anywhere to live in Sydney it would be Cronulla. The beach is stunning and is accompanied by streets of healthy cafes (with gluten free food- perfect as I'm coeliac). The people are friendly and overall it just has a good vibe!

COOGEE

Unfortunately this beach is a little more expensive for us to get to as the quickest route involves all the city tolls (the most expensive of them all). Nonetheless it is beautiful. Also accompanied by streets of healthy cafes Coogee is a beach you must visit! It is also known for it's Bondi to Coogee walk which I have been told is exhausting but worth it for the views. Maybe I can convince Jacob to walk it with me.

Another thing which I love about both Cronulla and Coogee is that you can sit on grass just above the beach without having to get sand in your shoes (it's a real place) yet still enjoy the ocean view. It definitely makes it more practical for the days you simply want to have a picnic by the beach without jumping into the ocean for a swim.

Which beach will you visit?