Nature comes in many forms, and in Palm Beach just over an hour from the CBD, nature presents as smashing beaches and the stunning Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The area’s surf – from Palm Beach to Whale Beach – is welcoming to paddlers and swimmers, surfers and toe-dippers, and on a hot day there’s nothing like taking refuge in the 35-metre ocean pool on Palm Beach itself. Barrenjoey Lighthouse sits 91 metres above sea level, with panoramic views over Palmy, as it’s colloquially called. Grab a bite (after a queue in summer) at The Boat House – there’s raw greens with poached eggs, avocado, broccoli, zucchini and miso salmon for breakfast, or a bucket of prawns with sourdough, excellent beer-battered flathead and beef burgers for lunch, all with a million-dollar view across the Hawkesbury River.
Palm Beach