Northern Beaches

Northern Beaches is a region north of Sydney where more than half of the city's beaches are located. It begins at Palm Beach, in the far north, and extends to Shelly Beach.

The area includes world-renowned surf beaches like Avalon, Narrabeen, Curl Curl, Freshwater and Manly.

The Northern Beaches are considered the birthplace of surfing in Australia. The sport was first popularized here by Duke Kahanamoku, a Hawaiian surfer who held a demonstration at Freshwater Beach in December 1914. The first ever World Surfing Championship was hosted in 1964 at Manly Beach, and in 2012, Manly and Freshwater beaches were officially declared a World Surfing Reserve, recognising their historical, cultural, and environmental significance.

Most of the beaches are pristine, peaceful, secluded areas with little urban interference, preserving their natural beauty.

Besides the beaches themselves, the region is also known for its headlands, coastal tracks, and clifftops with breathtaking lookouts.

This project

It all started when my friend Michael and I were at a picnic shelter by the lake, chatting and enjoying a beer.

I mentioned that I was getting bored of walking the same tracks over and over again. He listened, thought for a moment, and said, "I know you like walking. Why not walk all of the Northern Beaches?"

A light bulb immediately went off! "Wow, that's a brilliant idea! I'm doing that".

Over the following weeks, beginning at Palm Beach, I explored the beaches and the tracks that connect them. The total distance is approximately 35 km.

There was no rush; I moved at my own pace, usually two or three beaches a day, taking photos with my phone along the way. After covering nearly half of the beaches, I looked back at the pictures and felt they should be shared.

And that's the aim of this website: unpretentious, built to present a bit of the wonder of these beaches and landscapes.