The beachy enclave of Balmoral faces off with Manly across Middle Harbour, and has some good restaurants and a beaut swimming beach. Split in two by an outrageously picturesque rocky islet accessed by a little bridge, Balmoral attracts picnicking North Shore families. Swimmers migrate to the shark-netted southern end.
Balmoral Beach
Sydney
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.77 MILES
Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…
3.05 MILES
Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend…
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
13.3 MILES
A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20…
2.21 MILES
Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the…
1.37 MILES
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…
3.03 MILES
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a…
2.67 MILES
About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and…
17.31 MILES
This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach…
Nearby Sydney attractions
0.61 MILES
An isolated gay and nudist beach surrounded by bushland in the Middle Head section of Sydney Harbour National Park. It loses the sun quickly in the…
0.68 MILES
A nude and secluded beach on the other side of Middle Head from its partner in crime, Obelisk.
0.79 MILES
Gorgeous, peaceful and serene, despite its proximity to busy Balmoral, this is a photogenic location for a swim. At low tide it's a lovely stroll along…
0.94 MILES
Offering super harbour views and a look straight out to sea between North and South Head, this bushy headland is riddled with fortifications, some dating…
0.94 MILES
A beautiful place to enjoy scenic harbour beach swims with views of Fort Denison, Chowder Bay is also a convenient rest point on the coastal walk between…
0.98 MILES
Rugged and beautiful, Washaway is a secluded little spot within Sydney Harbour National Park, near Grotto Point on the Manly Scenic Walkway. As its name…
1.35 MILES
A long, low-lapping elbow of sand with bobbing yachts offshore, pretty Clontarf is popular with families, and has grassy picnic areas and a cafe.
1.37 MILES
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…