Whale Beach

Located in the suburb of Whale Beach in Northern Sydney, Whale Beach is a 600-meters-long curve-shaped east-facing beach with light brown sand and a nearby rocky shoreline.

Whale Beach has lifeguards on weekends in the summers.  In addition to lifeguards, this beach also offers many other amenities including restrooms, a playground, picnic areas, showers, nearby clifftop observation areas, barbecue facilities, and changing rooms.

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

Experienced surfers visit a popular surfing site at the north end of this beach – this surfing site is called “The Wedge” and it offers fun waves when winds are blowing from the south east.  

In addition, less experienced surfers can also experience fun surfing waves at this beach when north-easterly waves are blowing.  

If you are planning to swim, kayak, surf, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  

If you want to swim in safer water conditions, there is a swimming pool at the southern end of this beach – this rocky pool is called Whale Beach Rockpool and it offers safe swimming conditions.

If you are planning to get married near this beach, there is a popular event venue nearby named Moby Dicks Whale Beach that is an ideal place for hosting weddings and other events.

Whale Beach offers a wheelchair access ramp for visitors with disabilities – in addition to the access ramp, the beach also offers disabled-friendly restrooms, showers, playgrounds, and barbecue facilities.

Getting to Whale Beach is easy – this beach is located along a road named The Strand and it is easily accessible from a local road named Whale Beach Road.  There are multiple free and paid street parking spaces near the beach.

The origin of the name of the beach – Whale Beach – is disputed – some say that it received this name because the beach resembles a whale, while others say that this beach received this name because a whale got stranded on this beach a long time ago.  In addition, this beach also hosts many fun events including a swimming event named The Macquarie Big Swim and multiple community programs for kids.  In addition, there is also a historic house near Whale Beach that is named Careel House.  This house was made from sandstone quarried locally and was designed by architect Alexander Stewart Jolly in 1931.

There are many great attractions near Whale Beach. Governor Phillip Park is a waterfront recreational park that offers many amenities including barbecues, picnic areas, grassy recreational areas, restrooms, a playground, and a boat ramp.  This park also has a water play area during summers and you can see beautiful flowering Jacaranda trees here in November.  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.  The Bible Garden – also called the Palm Beach Bible Garden – is a garden that offers grassy lawn terraces and it has plants mentioned in the Bible.  This garden also has a pond and it also offers amazing views of the suburb of Palm Beach. Winnererremy Bay is a recreational area that has a narrow beach named Winnererremy Bay Beach and it also has many amenities including a playground, grassy recreational areas, picnic areas, a biking trail, benches, a cafe, and barbecues.  If you like golfing, Palm Beach Golf Club is a waterfront 9-hole golf course that offers a fun and challenging golfing session and it also offers amazing views of the nearby Lion Island.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Bert Payne Park is a recreational park that has many amenities including restrooms, barbecues, shaded areas, and a playground.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Whale Beach.  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.  Dunes Palm Beach has a Mediterranean-inspired decor and it also offers many amazing dishes including seafood, roast lamb, focaccia, pasta, and beef dishes.  Barrenjoey House Palm Beach is a hotel with a restaurant that offers amazing dishes including seafood, steak, chicken supreme, flatbread, and eggplant.  Club Palm Beach has a restaurant that offers many amazing dishes including pizzas, burgers, pastas, steak, seafood, salads, and Mexican dishes.  Coast Palm Beach is a nearby Whale Beach cafe that offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including burgers, wraps, muesli, and eggs.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Fernandos Peruvian Rotisserie offers excellent Latin American-style dishes including Peruvian roast chicken, tequenos, sandwiches and burgers – this restaurant also offers amazing coffee.

If you are looking for a hotel near Whale Beach, there are many great nearby options within a 20-minute drive.  Barrenjoey House Palm Beach is a historic nearby Whale Beach accommodation that was built in 1923 and has many amenities including a restaurant, a lounge, and a terrace.  Jonah’s Boutique Hotel and Restaurant is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a restaurant, a swimming pool, gardens, a bar, and spa services.  The 4-Star Narrabeen Sands Hotel by Nightcap Plus offers many amenities including a restaurant, bike rental facilities, an ATM, and a bar.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Palm Beach Bed & Breakfast that has a car-centred theme and offers many amenities including gardens and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Time and Tide Hotel is a 28-minute drive away and offers many amenities including a liquor store, multiple bars, a bistro, and a playground. Another great hotel near Whale Beach is Whale Watch Ocean Beach Resort, which is also called Whalewatch Ocean Beach Resort.