Freshwater Beach

This beautiful cove north of Manly is the birthplace of modern surfing in Australia thanks to a 1914 demonstration by Duke Kahanamoku, a visiting Hawaiian Olympian. It has some of the most reliable breaks in the city and being away from a big shopping hub means it’s one of the Northern Beaches' more relaxed and scenic beaches. It is patrolled from September until May. It also boasts a Sardinian fine diner in a weatherboard beach cottage just above the dunes.