Clovelly Beach

I was sad to discover this after I finished a dip in the McIver’s baths. It is amazing. A beach area and the inlet is perfect as there are many exit points into the concrete or open up into the ocean. Great for the open water swimmer or just lounging around. There is a very convenient bus stop as well!

What up concrete!
This once-​sweet little bay done got crocked with a lick of concrete, turning it into Sydney’s answer to the Panama Canal, only smaller and in the Eastern Suburbs and you can’t drive boats in it. I guess there had to be one dud beach on our coastline, and this, friends, is it.
I want to know which genius decided this that what the locals really wanted was a block, grey, charmless platform because he simply had to be European. If this was in Italy we’d probably love it, but then again if Tony Abbott was in Italy we’d probably love him, too.
I’m reliably informed there’s a couple of friendly groupers that cruise about in the channel bit if you bring a snorkel mask.

I lived here for 6 months back in 1990, and found it a lovely place to stay. The beach isn’t full of tourists and there are excellent coastal walks to Bondi Beach and beyond. Great transport links to the city too.

Do you hanker for a good old European concrete beach experience? I know I do. Sometimes I just want to lie out on some hot, flat, concrete and watch the world go by.
Well, if you brave the Clovelly Beach channel, you can do just this. There are all manner of life-​forms on display: plenty of locals, big bellies and speedos galore. Perhaps The Beautiful People are less inclined to come to this beach, though that’s not a steadfast rule.
Getting in and out of the channel can sometimes be dangerous and difficult, but it gives you a great feeling of satisfaction when you succeed. I have proudly suffered cuts and bruises attempting to get out of this channel — not so much from the waves, but from the other bodies being hurled at me by the waves. It can be a bit rough.
Parking is damn tricky, so the bus is advisable.
(There is also a beach at the end of the channel, so if lying on concrete and jumping into a channel is not your idea of a relaxing beach experience, you can do the whole sandy beach thing too. No waves down at the beach end: and it’s good for kids.)
Be sure to check out the rolling hills of Clovelly Cemetery while you’re at the beach, it’s an extraordinary place.

There are a couple of different ways to experience this beach:
There’s the actual beach which has tons of kids running around and then there’s end of the channel which doesn’t have nearly as many kids. I guess they all prefer the sand.
This is one of my favorite beaches because it’s much more of a swimming and snorkeling beach than anything else. It seems to be largely ignored by tourists and is a very relaxing place.

Do you love waves and hate kids? Then don’t come to Clovelly Beach. However, if you’re looking for a beach to take your little one then this beach is perfect! I would say the the beach goers are 90% families with kids under age 5. You will find many sand castles being built and all the parents are more than happy to share their kids’ toys. There are some nice grassy areas on the hills nearby and a shower for rinsing off.

This tiny beach doesn’t get much in the way of waves and if it were to get busy, you’d be pretty packed in, but it’s a nice chilled out beach where you can just come and relax with your mates and not worry about getting sand kicked in your beer! Or if you don’t fancy the sand, then there are a couple of large gazebos on the side of the hill, complete with free BBQ, which a few of us made use of the other weekend.
There’s also a man-​made sunbathing area (it’s easy to spot, it’s the big lump of flattened concrete that runs along the waters edge, which has a pool in it, should you want to do some lengths as opposed to some sea swimming (I imagine it’s a saltwater pool, but haven’t tasted it yet).

Feels so much like Italy down here. In fact, BYO deck chair, stripy beach umbrella and Campari cocktail… and viva Italia. It’s a well protected channel like setting which is protected from waves, and bordered by concrete — great for sand phobes. Unfortunately the lack of waves makes this place a magnet for families with small kids. So don’t come here to clear the hangover cobwebs, or face to be outnumbered by a horde of rugrats. Especially the case during holidays, and big public holidays like New Year’s Day. One plus is that such calm coastal conditions are well and truly conducive to lilos and various inflatable floating devices. Bring your snorkel gear and ogle the marine life, or bring your kickboard and do a lap or two before you hit the café. The beauty of the concrete ledge is you don’t have to gradually ease your way into icy water, because you can just bomb off the side. There’s even all day parking with in a couple of hundred metres of the beach, so you don’t have to spend a fortune for the privilege of having a swim in the ocean a.k.a. Bondi. In fact, once you’ve been to Clovelly, you’ll probably never have any desire to head to big bad Bondi ever again.

Clovelly is a sweet, docile little beach perfect for the ‘friady cat swimmer, like myself. While the ferocious surf at nearby Bondi and Tamarama are enough to scare me stiff, Clovelly has an entirely different feel to it. If an ocean cove had a baby with a recreational lap pool, they’d end up with something like this. The surf break enters the long, skinny ocean outlet, but the sides have been paved. There are steps along the wall for easy entry into the water (if you’re not the type to cannonball).
You will see people floating, people snorkeling (although I’ve never tried this so am not quite sure what they’re looking at down there), kids paddling and if you’re lucking, lifesavers training. I say «if you’re lucky» because that spectacle is one of the most extraordinary sights I have ever seen. I suspect that could be why so many young women sunbake on the pool’s concrete sides. But that’s just me speculating.

Clovelly has got to be one of Sydney’s best little beach spots. Tucked in between Bronte to the north and Gordon’s Bay to the south, it’s a narrow splice of ocean that’s generally calm for swimming and snorkelling, thanks to the breakwater at the mouth of the inlet. It’s more float-​on-​your-​back-​and-​watch-​the-​clouds than catch-​a-​massive-​wave-​into-​shore, which is just how the families and old folk like it. There’s a 25m saltwater pool for those keen on doing a few laps and a café nearby. The Clovelly Bowling Club also sits just beside the cove and offers (I think) one of the best lawn bowls spots in the country — great for a post-​swim game. I’ve come here a few times for barefoot bowls on a lazy weekend — cheap beer, plenty of laughs and a BBQ, what more could you want?