The north and north-west of Sydney features beautiful beaches, lagoons and waterholes – some easily accessible, and others reached via bushwalking tracks. Unfortunately, the population growth of Sydney means some swimming spots can be too polluted to swim (I haven’t included these) and some are best avoided for a few days after rain.
See also wild swimming spots in Sydney’s south / Blue Mountains / Central Coast. The book Wild Swimming (by Sally Tertini and Steve Pollard) is also a great resource, with over 250 wild swimming spots around Sydney.
Collins Flat Beach is a sheltered harbour beach between between North Head and Little Manly Cove. It can only be reached via foot, via a couple of walking tracks.
- Sydney Harbour National Park
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 0.4km
- Ease of access: Easy
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: Limited parking at end of Collins Beach Road
A challenging beach to reach on foot, Flannel Flower Beach is a narrow sliver of sand, best visited at low tide.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 1.8km
- Ease of access: Moderate/Hard
- Features: Shaded areas
- How to get there: Park at the end of West Head Road (West Head Lookout)
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 2.4km
- Ease of access: Moderate
- Features: Caves, Shaded areas, Fishing, Wildlife
- How to get there: Flint and Steel track from West Head Road
Flint and Steel Beach is a sheltered and usually quiet beach at West Head. It's reaced by a 1km bushwalking track.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 2km
- Ease of access: Easy/Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Flint and Steel track from West Head Road
A family-friendly beach with very calm water, Great Mackerel Beach can be reached by ferry (from Palm Beach) or via a couple of bushwalking tracks.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 4.8km
- Ease of access: Easy/Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Basin Track from West Head Road or Headland Track from Resolute Picnic Area
Hungry Beach is a picturesque West Head beach, which can be reached by boat or via a couple of informal walking routes.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 3.6km
- Ease of access: Moderate/Hard
- Features: Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Flint and Steel trailhead near the end of West Head Road
Lovetts Pool is a beautiful natural waterhole; a small waterfall drops into the natural pool. It's near the Elvina Track (at West Head).
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: River
- Distance to swimming spot: 3km
- Ease of access: Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: Elvina Track off West Head Road
The popular Mullet Creek Falls (or Irrawong Waterfall) is a small but very photogenic waterfall. Mullet Creek drops off a wide ledge into a large pool and swimming hole.
- Irrawong Reserve
- Type of Swim: River
- Distance to swimming spot: 0.6km
- Ease of access: Easy
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: Trail from Epworth Place (Warriewood) or Ingleside Road (Ingleside)
Refuge Bay has both a sheltered and protected beach, and a stunning cliff-top waterhole above the beach. It's most easily reached by boat, but can also be accessed on foot via an informal bushwalking track.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (ocean), River
- Distance to swimming spot: 9.9km
- Ease of access: Moderate
- Features: Shaded areas, Waterfall
- How to get there: By boat via Hawkesbury River or bushwalking track from Salvation Loop
One of the most picturesque West Head beaches, the sheltered Resolute Beach is reached by a walking track from either West Head Lookout or the Resolute Picnic Area.
- Ku-ring-gai Chase NP, West Head
- Type of Swim: Beach (estuary)
- Distance to swimming spot: 2km
- Ease of access: Easy
- Features: Caves, Shaded areas, Fishing
- How to get there: Trail from West Head Lookout or Resolute Picnic Area
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