Live like a local: discover the top beaches in Sydney

For most of the year, the UK’s weather tends to be fairly consistent: grey.

Consequently, it’s little wonder a flight to the other side of the world – Sydney in this case – throws up a wonderful sense of excitement (at seeing the sun and beach) and some trepidation (at the lengthy journey ).

No matter where you are in the UK, one way to ease the pain, both financially and psychologically, is to try to catch a flight from London. In this case, we flew from Stansted, leaving the car at the very handy Stansted meet and greet parking before making our way to the terminal.

While we’d visited Sydney once before, this time around we were keen to live like the locals by discovering some of the beaches we hadn’t visited last time round – and there were plenty to choose from …

Coogee Beach

Located in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Coogee offers sun seekers a bustling community, with a mixture of backpackers and locals thrown together to create a melting pot of different cultures. The beach itself is spotless and jam-packed with families, couples and surfers enjoying the pristine facilities.

If you get tired of soaking up the sun or riding the waves, the Coogee Bay Hotel is only a stone’s throw away and offers a wide range of beverages and food to keep you fuelled up for the rest of the day.

Manly Beach

Next on the agenda was Manly beach. Located to the north of Sydney, the beach can be reached by hopping on a ferry from Circular Quay. The journey takes about 30 minutes and allows you to take in the sights and sounds of the CBD and witness the spectacular Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Once there, it pays to take a wander around The Corso, where you can do some shopping and pick up a bite to eat. It’s a fairly narrow beach, but undoubtedly one of the most relaxing spots near this bustling metropolis.

Tamarama Beach

Last, but by no means least, we made the trip to Tamarama beach, again in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, which offered a real slice of local life, as it seemed a million miles away from the usual tourist traps like Bondi.

Yes, the beach is small, but good things come in little packages – and Tamarama is an absolute cracker. Affectionately nicknamed Glamarama by local residents, the beach is ideal for surfing, swimming or relaxing, and was the perfect way to top off another excellent trip to Sydney.