Mona Vale Beach

Located in the suburb of Mona Vale in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, Mona Vale Beach is a curve-shaped one-kilometer-long east-facing beach with light brown sand and a rocky peninsular northern part.

Mona Vale Beach usually has lifeguards every day from 9 am to 5 pm between the end of September and the end of April.  In addition to lifeguards, the beach and area around it have many other amenities including restrooms, showers, picnic areas, changing rooms, barbecue areas, playground equipment, grassy recreational areas, and observation areas.  Please note that most of the amenities here are located near the northern end of this beach.

Dogs are currently prohibited at Mona Vale Beach.

Mona Vale Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, picnicking, swimming, boating, parasailing, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, bodysurfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, parasailing, wakeboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.  

The rocky peninsula at the northern part of the beach is particularly popular with surfers – the southern side of this peninsula is popular with advanced and intermediate surfers, while beginner surfers surf near the northern side of the peninsula.  In addition, there is also a popular surfing site near Mona Vale Beach’s southern end named Cook’s Terrace.  The best time for surfing here is when the northeasterly winds are blowing.  You can check the online Mona Vale Beach Cam or the online Mona Vale Beach Surf Cam to see the amazing waves here.  In addition, you can also check the Mona Vale Beach surf report on the Internet to know the current wave conditions here. 

If you are planning to swim, kayak, surf, canoe, snorkel, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to frequently have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  The rocky shoreline at the northern end of this beach can also cause injuries.  If you like swimming in calmer water, you can swim at a saltwater swimming pool located at the rocky northern portion of this beach – this rocky pool is named Mona Vale Rockpool and it is also called Mona Vale Beach Rock Pool.  This pool offers a fun swimming experience and it also has a smaller section for kids. 

If you like taking pictures with amazing views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Pacific Ocean and the northern Sydney shoreline, particularly during sunsets and sunrise. 

If you like hiking, there is a hiking trail starting from Mona Vale Beach named “Mona Vale Beach to Narrabeen Beach Walk” – this trail goes southwards along the shoreline from the beach to another nearby beach named Narrabeen Beach and it offers a fun waterfront hiking experience.

There is a beautiful privately-owned house near Mona Vale Beach named the Basin Beach House Mona Vale – this house was designed by architect Peter Stutchbury and has won many architectural awards including Residential Architectural Award and the Robyn Boyd Award by the Australian Institute of Architects.

Mona Vale Beach offers a beach wheelchair for visitors with disabilities – this beach wheelchair is located at the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club and it is usually available for use between 9 am and 4 pm.  You can contact the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club by phone at (029) 1452-987 for more information regarding the booking of the beach wheelchair.

In addition, there is a disabled-friendly restroom near Mona Vale Beach at the Mona Vale Surf Life Saving Club.

Getting to Mona Vale Beach is easy – this beach is located near the southern end of Darley Street East, near its intersection with Surfview Road.  There is a paid parking lot near this beach, along with multiple free street parking spaces.  This beach is easily accessible from two metropolitan roads named A3 and A8.

The beach and the suburb were named Mona Vale by Colonial-era merchant and politician Robert Campbell – Campbell named this area “Mona Vale” apparently after a town in Scotland.  However, the real-life location of the original town of “Mona Vale” is still unknown.

There are many attractions near Mona Vale Beach within a 20-minute drive.  Apex Park is a recreational park adjacent to the beach that offers many amenities including playgrounds, picnic tables, shaded sitting areas, grassy areas, and a restroom.  Barrenjoey Lighthouse is a beautiful historic sandstone lighthouse that was built in 1881 and the area around it also offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and the northern Sydney shoreline.  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.  McCarrs Creek Reserve is a waterfront reserve that offers many amenities including barbecue areas, a wharf, picnic tables, drinking water facilities, and benches.  This reserve also has an off-leash dog area.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Warriewood Square is a shopping center that offers many interesting shopping stores.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Mona Vale Beach within a 17-minute drive.  The Basin Dining Room is a restaurant with a laid-back ambiance and it also serves many amazing dishes including seafood, risotto, steaks, pork, and salad.  Jonah’s is an upscale waterfront restaurant that offers amazing seafood, along with many other dishes for lunch and dinner including pastas, duck, risotto, steaks, and lamb.  Amici di Toni is an Italian restaurant that is known for serving excellent dishes for lunch and dinner including pastas, chicken, steaks, seafood, and salad.  Flying Fox Cafe is a nearby Mona Vale beach cafe that offers many amazing dishes for breakfast and lunch including seafood, burgers, chicken parmigiana, eggs, and pancakes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Sunrise Cafe serves many delicious dishes including burgers, wraps, tacos, steaks, seafood, sandwiches, pastas, and chicken wings.

If you are looking for a hotel near Mona Vale Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 35-minute drive.  If you are looking for a 5-Star hotel, the Manly 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.  The 4-Star Miramare Gardens is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant and a lawn.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Checkers Resort & Conference Centre that offers many amenities including a pool, a hot tub, a restaurant (that is open for breakfast and dinner), a sauna, a gym, cycling paths, and walking trails.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Time and Tide Hotel offers many amenities including a liquor store, multiple bars, a bistro, and a playground.