Occupying a peninsula at Sydney’s northern tip, Palm Beach, or “Palmy,” stretches for 2.3 kilometres — and its golden beach doubles as the setting for a certain long-running TV soap that launched the careers of some renowned Aussie actors. Fringed by some of Sydney’s swankiest real estate, the southern end of the beach is the safest and most popular swimming spot, complete with a sparkling 50-metre ocean pool. At the northern end, a historic lighthouse sits atop Barrenjoey Head, which rises 100 metres above the cerulean sea. On the western side of the peninsular lies the wide, tidal estuary of Pittwater, a haven for boaters.

While Palm Beach is primarily a residential suburb, there are several cafes and restaurants dotted along the main road that curls around the peninsula from Pittwater to Palmy’s surf beach.

The drive from central Sydney to Palm Beach takes just over an hour, longer during peak times. The coastal route via Spit Road is the most scenic option, but the inland road through Frenchs Forest is generally faster. While there’s no longer a direct bus service running from Wynyard Station in the city to Palm Beach, you’ll only need to change once, at Mona Vale, with regular daily services on both routes. You can also take the Manly Ferry from Circular Quay and hop on bus 199, which will get you to Palm Beach in around 75 minutes. Most buses make several stops in Palm Beach before terminating at Ocean Road, near the surf club. For a stylish arrival, book a seaplane ride from Rose Bay in Sydney Harbour, which lands at Palm Beach Water Airport (LBH).

Palm Beach is at its busiest during the balmy summer months. Visit outside school holidays and summer weekends for ease of parking, and for more space to spread out on the sand. Like most beaches on the Northern Beaches peninsula, Palm Beach is patrolled by lifeguards from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from September until the end of April. There are also lifeguards stationed at North Palm Beach on weekends. While some locals swim year-round, the water becomes too chilly for most in April before warming up again in November. Visitor numbers dwindle during the winter months; however, this can be a nice time to wander up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse, the perfect vantage point to spot migrating whales.

Barrenjoey Lighthouse

Part of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Barrenjoey Head’s iconic lighthouse was built in 1881 from locally quarried sandstone. It’s an easy one-kilometre walk uphill from the Governor Phillip car park, or you can scramble up the shorter Smugglers Track. Guided lighthouse tours are available on Sundays, but the panorama of the peninsula is worth the walk any day of the week.

Pittwater

Technically a drowned valley estuary, Pittwater is sandwiched between the West Head precinct of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park to the west and the Palm Beach peninsula to the east. A regular ferry service connects Palm Beach with West Head; alight at the Basin Wharf to hike to an ancient Aboriginal art site. You can also explore Pittwater on a boat tour, or by stand-up paddleboard or kayak, with paddle craft rentals available in Clareville and at Bayswater, southwest of Palm Beach.

Patonga

Get a taste of the Central Coast without hitting the road by taking a 30-minute ferry ride from Palm Beach to Patonga Beach. The ferry makes half a dozen return journeys on weekends, and one return trip during the week. Surrounded by Brisbane Water National Park, Patonga is a scenic spot to laze on the beach, enjoy a long waterfront lunch, or go for a hike.