Located on the northern tip of Sydney’s Eastern suburbs sits Watson’s Bay, a suburb nestled in a harbour that looks out to the skyline of Sydney’s CBD in the distance. Considered one of the best spots in Sydney to catch a glowing sunset, it is well worth an afternoon of your time. I had plans to visit as many beaches in Sydney as I could – just as I had in Perth. But this didn’t really end up happening.
Having a car to use in Perth made it a lot faster to venture to all of the beaches along the sunset coast. Unfortunately in Sydney I didn’t have that luxury and had to rely on the bus, which is fine but it takes a lot longer (sometimes more than an hour). More often than not, I couldn’t be bothered considering I had a perfectly good beach much closer. That said, I was always very happy on the days I did decide to venture outside of my Bondi to Coogee bubble.
So, after catching the bus we arrived in the middle of the afternoon (on a weekend) to a beach filled with visitors eager to soak in the sunshine. If you don’t like sharing your beaches as much, try going on a week day instead. Watson’s Bay has a thin strip of beach directly in the harbour where the boats anchor and while some people were in the water here we chose to walk a bit farther to Camp Cove Beach.
Camp Cove is actually a pretty big beach that backs on to some of Sydney’s million dollar homes. With calm, protected water and a kiosk at the end for snacks and drinks, it’s an ideal place to lay out your towel and take a dip.
Not only a beautiful place for a day trip, Watson’s Bay is the oldest fishing village in Sydney and is full of interesting history. From Camp Cove, you can walk the South Heritage Trail which will take you past the cannon and all the way to the red-and-white-striped Hornby Lighthouse.
I had the best of intentions to do this little walk (that should take you an hour at most) but couldn’t peel myself from the water and now, sadly, it will be the only thing left uncrossed on my list of things to do in Sydney. But don’t follow my lead – you should definitely do the walk! It is meant to be rich in views, history and even whale spotting if you’re visiting during the right season!
After a day spent lounging around in Camp Cove we finished off with jugs of cocktails at the Watson’s Bay Boutique Hotel. A fun and adorably nautical themed hotel restaurant + bar that looks right out over the harbour, you can get sippin’ on some summer drinks and take in a sunset at the same time.
That’s all I have for you about Watson’s Bay but I did want to toss in an extra beach to add to your list as a little side note: Queen’s Beach. Located along the Hermitage Foreshore Track you can bus, drive or take a rest along the walk here. Queen’s Beach was one of my favorite beaches that I visited in Sydney and very photogenic.
I mean, look at that.
It’s a quiet little nook of a beach nestled amongst trees and big ocean rocks. The water is still and calm, although a little churned up as seems to be the norm for beaches that are within the harbour, and as you swim you get to look out at the harbour bridge and opera house standing tall in the distance. Would probably make yet another amazing sunset spot.
So there you have it. Two beaches, two sunset spots, two different views of Sydney’s harbour. What more could you ask for? Go to one or go to both – either way I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.