I know what you’re thinking. Sydney means the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the kangaroos! Those three are what most people picture when they think of Sydney. And they are worth every minute. We did all of it on our first trip and we would do it again tomorrow.
What took us longer to work out is how much of Sydney happens in the water. Locals plan their weekends around swimming, paddling, learning to surf, eating dinner out on the harbour. Those turned out to be our best days. Months later, I still hear the kids say “Do you remember the time when we snorkelled?” and that pretty much proves how fun those experiences were.
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So here are five water-based Sydney experiences that are worth making room for.
Snorkel At Shelly Beach
The Shelly Beach snorkel is the gentlest one on this list. Shelly Beach sits at the far end of Manly, inside Cabbage Tree Bay. The whole bay has been a no-take aquaticreserve since 2002, so no fishing and no spearing, and the fish have very clearly worked this out. They are not hiding from you.
The water is calm. A reef out front blocks the swell, so there is no surf, and the edge stays shallow enough for a nervous swimmer to stand up whenever they want.
Swim out a little and it drops to two to six meters. That is where most of the fish are, and a confident ten-year-old handles it with a mask and some patience. For a child who has only seen fish in a tank, the first time one swims past their elbow is a genuinely big moment.
Worth Knowing: There are kiosks and toilets at Shelly, and a car park that fills early on weekends. Bring your own snorkel equipment if you have, because hire is not always available on the beach itself.
Surf At Bondi Beach
Every kid who comes to Australia wants to surf, and Bondi surfing is the go-to option. But Bondi on a big day is not a beginner beach, so the way in is a surf lesson.
Several surf schools operate on the sand at Bondi, running beginner groups, private sessions and kids’ classes, with a soft board and wetsuit usually included. The first stretch happens on dry land and it is not wasted time.
Big kids and little ones can both do this one. Younger children stay in the white water and get pushed onto a wave. Teenagers go further out and genuinely learn something. Minimum ages differ between schools, so confirm when you book.
One safety point above all others. The southern corner of Bondi holds a permanent rip that lifeguards pull people out of every year, and it looks calmest on the days it catches them. Stay in the flagged areas in the middle and toward the northern end.
Worth Knowing: there are showers along the promenade for washing the salt off, and the cafés on Campbell Parade open early enough for a post-lesson breakfast. Book well ahead in summer and through school holidays.
Kayak At Narrabeen Lagoon
Save this one for the day you have had enough of washing sand out of everybody’s hair. Narrabeen Lagoon is the largest estuary on the northern beaches, and the water sits flat. No surf, no swell, and the far bank is in sight the whole time. You can kayak Narrabeen Lagoon in a single, a double, a canoe or a paddle board, all hired at the water’s edge.
That makes it the easiest paddle in Sydney for a family with a wide age gap. A younger child sits in the front of a double and contributes approximately nothing, which is fine. An older one takes a single and disappears for twenty minutes without anybody panicking. The rest of the day looks after itself. An 8.4km shared trail loops the whole lagoon with no steps, and there are playgrounds, picnic areas, barbecues, toilets and a café around the edge.
Worth knowing: The lagoon and its reserves are free to enter, though council car parks on the northern beaches are generally pay and display, so read the signs before you walk off. Hire is by the hour and rates change, so confirm when you get there.
Cruise Sydney Harbour
There comes an evening on every trip when dinner becomes a chore after a packed day. Everybody is sunburnt and tired. You want to eat something that is not a chicken schnitzel, and you would quite like to sit down for longer than nine minutes.
This is the evening that fixes it, and it is the one thing on this list where the water does the work while you stay dry.
Most dinner cruise in Sydney options run two to three hours and finish at a set time, so bedtime stays survivable. Food comes either plated or as a buffet depending on the boat. With children, the buffet is the easier bet, since nobody has to negotiate over a menu. Several boats have open decks where your kids will run off to watch the Opera House slide past.
That is the part I would pay for again. Not the view, though the view is stunning. The fact that nobody spent the evening managing anybody, and everyone stayed where you could see them.
Worth knowing: the Sydney Harbour cruise varies by vessel. Some suit families while others are for a late DJ party, so check what you book. Boarding points differ, so read your ticket.
Wakeboard At Penrith
Wakeboarding is when you stand on a board while something tows you across the water. Usually a boat. Here it is the cable. An hour west of the city, two lakes sit side by side with a cable looping above each one. You grab the handle, the cable pulls, and you are up and moving across the water at speed.
Your children will watch you fall off and they will not be kind about roasting you.
Beginners get a learn-to-ride session before they are let loose, and the cable runs on a loop, so you keep going round until your arms give out. Teenagers take to it immediately and will not get off.
For the younger ones, there is an aqua park of inflatable slides, trampolines and obstacles, plus a shallow area for three to five-year-olds where a parent goes in with them. So the teenager rides, the small one bounces, and somebody gets a coffee in the shade. Spectators get in free.
Worth Knowing: Grip socks are needed in the toddler area. Check the minimum age for the cable before you drive out.
One Last Thing
Keep towels, sunscreen, hats and swimmers in your day bag every day, whether or not there is water on the plan. Sydney has a way of putting you next to it when you least expect it. Three months on, the only thing anyone in my house argues about is who saw the biggest fish.
For more on traveling to Australia, read:
- Melbourne Kids Activities: How To Explore Australia’s Cultural Capital With The Family
- Guiding Young Minds: Ensuring Device Safety During International Travels
- Why Choose Cruzy: Top-Rated Cruise Booking Service for Families
- 10 Tips When Traveling with Kids to Avoid Common Travel Mistakes
- Is MasterClass Worth It? What I Learned on My Long Haul Flight to Kazakhstan
Amanda Clark
Guest Author
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