Long Reef Beach(Dee Why Beach)

Located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Long Reef Beach is a curve-shaped southeast-facing beach with light brown sand, a few rocky parts, and nearby artificial reefs.  The northern part of the beach is considerably rockier than its southern part.

Long Reef Beach and the area near it have many amenities including lifeguards, showers, barbecues, a concession stand, a boat ramp, picnic tables, restrooms, grassy recreational areas, and observation areas.  Pets are not allowed at Long Reef Beach.

Long Reef Beach offers many fun activities including picnicking, fishing, sunbathing, hiking, swimming, boating, bodysurfing, surfing, paddleboarding, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, tidepooling, skimboarding, water-skiing, jet-skiing, hang-gliding, snorkeling, scuba diving, wakeboarding, parasailing, surf-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.

Long Reef Beach is ideal for beginner and slightly advanced surfers because the water here sometimes offer fun surfing waves and these waves can be seen at the online long reef surf cam.  In addition, the best time for surfing here is when the northeasterly winds are blowing.  The northern part of this beach is also popular for windsurfers, kitesurfers, and hang gliders – the best time for windsurfing and surfing here is during winters.

If you are planning to swim, surf, kayak, or snorkel here, we recommend being very careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and significantly dangerous waves, along with rugged reefs that can cause injuries.  The water here also has sharks and Portuguese men o' war and these animals can cause serious injuries.  If you like tidepooling, you can explore the interesting tidepools around Long Reef Beach during low Collaroy tides.

The Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club organizes many fun activities around this beach including lifeguard training classes, fun games for kids, beach volleyball matches, and boating competitions.  There is also a marine reserve nearby – named Long Reef Aquatic Reserve – that is popular with snorkelers and scuba divers because of its amazing marine biodiversity and underwater landscape.

If you like taking pictures with excellent views, there is an observation area near the northern end of the beach named Long Reef Point Lookout that offers amazing views of the Northern Sydney shoreline and the Pacific Ocean.

Long Reef Beach offers wheelchair access for visitors with disabilities.  In addition, it also has reserved parking spaces for visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Long Reef Beach is easy – this beach is easily accessible from the southbound lane of an arterial road named Pittwater Road.  Pittwater Road is a part of a larger metropolitan arterial route named A8.  There are paid parking lots near the beach that charge AUD $5 per hour or AUD $8 per day.  Once you park at the parking lots of Long Reef Beach, you can easily walk to the beach.

There have been many shipwrecks near Long Reef Beach during the 19th and early 20th centuries.  In addition, the artificial reefs near the beach were created by intentionally sinking ships nearby – the wreckage from these ships now serve as artificial reefs.

There are many attractions near Long Reef Beach within a 23-minute drive.  Long Reef Headland is a headland that offers a fun oceanfront hiking and wildlife watching experience and it also offers amazing views of the Northern Sydney shoreline – the headland and the area near it offer many other fun activities snorkeling, surfing, swimming, windsurfing, and hang-gliding.  If you like golf, Long Reef Golf Club is a waterfront 18-hole golf course that offers a fun golfing experience, along with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.  Bicentennial Coastal Walk is a waterfront walking trail that offers a fun way to explore Sydney’s urbanized shoreline – this trail passes near multiple lagoons, headlands, harbors, bushland, and bays and it also offers amazing views of coastal Sydney.  Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a 37,010-acre national park that offers many fun activities including fishing, wildlife watching, kayaking, canoeing, boating, picnicking, hiking, and biking – this national park also has historic European and Aboriginal sites, a marina, a discovery center, rainforests, rocky cliffs, mangrove forests, and creeks.  Luna Park Sydney is a popular historic amusement park that was initially opened in 1935 and it also offers many fun rides including roller coasters, carousel, a ferris wheel, arcade games, and a bumper car area.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Sydney Harbor National Park has many interesting cultural and natural landmarks including an old lighthouse, historic buildings, aboriginal sites, small islands, headlands, and multiple beaches – this state park offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, and picnicking.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Long Reef Beach.  The Upper Crust is a popular restaurant that is known for serving excellent savory pies including chicken pies, steak pies, and lamb pies.  Pilu at Freshwater is an upscale restaurant that offers gourmet dishes inspired by Italy’s Sardinian cuisine including maialetto and tiramisu.  Oceans Narrabeen offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including steaks, seafood, burgers, pastas, eggs, and pancakes – this restaurant also offers live music performances.  The Collaroy is a restaurant with a vibrant ambiance and it also serves excellent seafood, pizzas, grilled meat, and salads and it also offers DJ performances on weekends and salsa music on Saturdays.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Two Hungry Bears Narrabeen offers amazing burgers, fried chicken, fries, and shakes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Long Reef Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 20-minute drive.  The 5-StarManly Pacific Hotel offers many amenities including a hot tub,  a beach club, a sauna, a gym, a pool with a sundeck, multiple restaurants and bars.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Narrabeen Sands Hotel by Nightcap Plus that offers many amenities including a restaurant, bike rental facilities, an ATM, and a bar.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star The Sebel Sydney Manly Beach that offers many amenities including two swimming pools and an adjacent restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Hotel Steyne that was built in 1859 and offers many amenities including multiple restaurants and a lounge.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-StarTime and Tide Hotel offers many amenities including a liquor store, multiple bars, a bistro, and a playground.