Avalon Beach

Located on the northern end of the northern beachside suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Avalon Beach is a 500-meter-long crescent-shaped red sand beach. The beach is bordered by 60-meter-high sandstone cliffs and the rocky platforms of Bilgola Head and Hole in the Wall to the north and Shaley Newport Head to the south, which together provide incredible views of the vast Pacific Ocean. The beach has a sandbar, which divides it into two sections by permanently separating it forcibly against the rocks at either end. The beach has a beautiful backdrop of the dunes of Des Creagh Reserve, which preserves the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity of the region.

Avalon Beach offers many amenities, including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, a rock pool, a skate bowl, shaded picnic areas, picnic tables, a playground, a barbecue grill facility, and a fishing area.Avalon Beach offers many amenities, including lifeguards, restrooms, showers, a rock pool, a skate bowl, shaded picnic areas, picnic tables, a playground, a barbecue grill facility, and a fishing area.

Avalon Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, jet skiing, paddleboarding, building castles, rockpooling, and hiking.  If you are planning to go into the water, it is a naturally sheltered bay, making it a safe swimming area.  However, we recommend being careful, as the water is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  The northern side of the beach is extremely popular with surfers due to its great waves, whereas the edge of the south cliff is popularly known as Little Avalon, where the swell pulls up strongly on a shallow rocky ledge to create fast-barrelling tube rides.  In addition, visitors can also enjoy a rockpool (a small pool of seawater that forms along the coastline and is a microhabitat that is home to many sea creatures) that is positioned at the southern end of the beach.  If you enjoy fishing, you may catch a variety of fish.   Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.   The beach hosts many interesting events and festivals, including the Classic Car Show, Surf Carnival, Winter Magic Festival, New Year's Eve Fireworks, ‘Avalon Beach Surf Swim’ and ‘Around the Bends Swim', that attract a large influx of visitors during the summer season.  Dogs are allowed here if they are on a leash, and the beach is open from sunrise until sunset.

Avalon Beach does not offer an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Avalon Beach is easy - the beach has a large paid parking lot located at 691 Barrenjoey Road, which provides easy access to the beach.  Alternatively, visitors can also park their vehicles at 1 Marine Parade, which also provides easy access to the beach.

Avalon Beach is popular for its reddish soft sands, which indicate the presence of iron oxide.  The beach is also a popular filming location, as it is filmed in many movies, including Muriel’s Wedding, and TV shows like Blue Water High and Home and Away.  In addition, Avalon Beach is home to many famous personalities, including Kelly Slater, Chris Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, and Nicole Kidman.

There are many attractions near Avalon Beach.  Barrenjoey Lighthouse is a 36-foot-tall lighthouse positioned on the northernmost tip of the Palm Beach Peninsula.  It was built in 1888 to monitor the smugglers activities in bringing contraband into Broken Bay, and it has also served as an observation point to watch Japanese ships during World War 2 . Visitors can climb up the lighthouse and enjoy incredible views of the vast Pacific Ocean.  Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is spread over 15,000 hectares and is home to a wide variety of landscapes, including forests, woodlands, heaths, rainforests, mangroves, rivers, waterfalls, cliffs, beaches, rocky formations, and Aboriginal sites.  Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including bushwalking, hiking, camping, mountain biking, boating, kayaking, canoeing, horseback riding, picnicking, fishing, and bird-watching.

Governor Phillip Park is a beachfront dog-friendly park that offers many amenities, including a gazebo, picnic areas, picnic tables, benches, barbecue grill facilities, restrooms, and a large playground with swing sets.  Upper Gledhill Falls features a small waterfall that cascades into a deep emerald pool surrounded by many rocky cliffs, where visitors can enjoy a refreshing dip.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, Garigal National Park preserves fragile ecosystems, including bushland, wetlands, forests, and estuaries that offer unique insight into the local biodiversity.  The park offers many interesting activities, including fishing, cycling, horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, sailing, boating, bushwalking, birdwatching, and picnicking. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a six-minute drive of Avalon Beach.  Sunset Diner serves burgers, salads, sandwiches, and shakes.  Charbel's serves amazing eggs, omelets, burgers, sandwiches, crepes, salads, meat, and poultry dishes. Fernando’s Peruvian Rotisserie serves delicious salads, burgers, sandwiches, burritos, wraps, nachos, and pre-designed meals.  Wasabi Japanese Sushi Bar serves soups, salads, sashimi, sushi, rolls, and bento boxes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Han Court Chinese Restaurant serves amazing soups, noodles, fried rice, and Chinese dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Avalon Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Park Hyatt Sydney is 55 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including a rooftop pool, a deck with harbor views, a spa, a fitness center, and two restaurants.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star Jonah’s Restaurant & Boutique Hotel, which has many amenities, including an outdoor pool, a fitness center, whirlpool tubs, a restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.  Another moderately priced option is the 4-Star Metro Mirage Hotel Newport, which has many amenities including an outdoor pool, a fitness room, a hot tub, a restaurant, and a private jetty.  A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star The Hornsby Inn, which offers a few amenities including pool tables, a Thai restaurant, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Blues Point Hotel offers a few amenities including a restaurant, a sports bar, and a terrace.