Shark Beach(Nielsen Park)

Located in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Vaucluse, Shark Beach is a crescent-shaped 230-meters-long small northwest-facing beach with light brown sand and a few nearby rocks.  This beach is a part of a larger recreational park named Nielsen Park.

Although Shark Beach does not have lifeguards, the beach and the area around it have many other amenities including grassy recreational areas, restrooms, walking paths, picnic tables, drinking water, and showers.

Dogs are not allowed here.

Shark Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, picnicking, swimming, boating, paddleboarding, fishing, bodyboarding, biking, jet-skiing, water-skiing, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for beginner swimmers because the water here is usually known to have gentle waves.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  In addition, sharks are also known to live near this beach.

If you like fishing, this beach offers an amazing Nielsen Park fishing experience and you can catch many kinds of fish here.  If you like taking pictures with excellent views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Sydney Harbor and the eastern Sydney shoreline.  If you like hiking, there is a hiking trail near the beach named Hermitage Foreshore Trail that offers a fun waterfront hiking experience.

Although Shark Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities, there is a disabled-friendly walkway near this beach.

Getting to Shark Beach is easy – the access path to the beach is located near the intersection of Greycliffe Avenue and Coolong Road.  There are multiple free street parking spaces nearby. 

It is important to note that this beach is closed to the general public until April 2024 because of the repair of a local seawall named the Nielsen Park Seawall. 

We recommend visiting this beach earlier during summer weekends because this beach can get crowded during this time.

This beach received its name – Shark Beach – because many sharks live near this beach.

There are multiple attractions near Shark Beach.  Vaucluse House is a historic house built in 1839 that offers interesting insight into local history and it also has furnishings from the early to mid-19th century.  Macquarie Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse near Nielsen Park Vaucluse, that is one of the oldest lighthouses in Australia and was initially built in 1818 – there is also a small museum at the lighthouse premises, along with a few historic buildings.  Gap Park is a recreational park that offers amazing views of the Pacific Ocean and it also offers many amenities including park benches, a walking path, and a boardwalk.  This park also has many historic sites and displays including ruins of shipwrecks, remains of fortifications, and old gun placements and it also has a rainforest.  The Strickland House is a historic mansion that was built in the mid-19th century and has interesting Victorian Italianate-style architecture.  While visitors are prohibited from entering this mansion, they can admire it from a distance.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Diamond Bay Reserve is a clifftop oceanfront recreational area that has a walking path and an off-leash exercise area for dogs – this recreational area offers amazing views of the Eastern Sydney shoreline and the Pacific Ocean. 

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Shark Beach.  The Nielsen is a Nielsen Park cafe and restaurant that offers excellent Italian dishes, along with a variety of other dishes including toasts, sandwiches, wraps, and chicken salads.  Catalina is an upscale restaurant that offers many amazing gourmet dishes with Mediterranean and Asian influences – it is known for serving excellent local seafood and it also offers excellent steak, pork, and lamb.  Doyles Fishermans Wharf Takeaway offers excellent seafood and it also offers delicious salads and chicken nuggets.  Bay Cafe offers a variety of excellent dishes including pies, Persian dishes, pizzas, cookies, and quiche.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, The Grumpy Baker offers a variety of excellent dishes for breakfast and lunch including baked desserts, savory pies, sandwiches, salads, and salads.

If you are looking for a hotel near Shark Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 20-minute drive.  The 5-Star InterContinental Sydney Double Bay, and IHG Hotel offers many amenities including a fitness center, a pool, multiple bars, and outdoor sitting areas.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel that offers a restaurant and bike rental facilities.  Another great upscale hotel is the 4-Star QT Bondi Beach Hotel & Accommodation that offers access to a nearby fitness club.  A more affordable hotel is the 3.5-Star Hotel Ravesis that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a bar, a liquor shop. and a nightclub.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hotel Bondi offers many amenities including a restaurant, a bar, a beer garden, and a wine shop.