Shelly Beach, CronullaCredit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking swimers enjoying Shelly Beach ocean bath in Cronulla.
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The southern reaches of Sydney, starting with a 50-minute drive from the city, are just the place for a quick day trip, classic beach holiday or camping adventure. Hike in Australia’s oldest national park, see where James Cook first came ashore in 1770, discover ancient Aboriginal rock art, watch whales cruise past, and learn to surf on pristine golden beaches.
Where to eat
Sandy feet are most welcome at classic coastal milk bar Milkhouse Kurnell, serving up milkshakes, deluxe brekkie burgers and smoothie bowls at Kurnell on the southern tip of Botany Bay.
In the nearby beach suburb of Cronulla, experience casual dining at its best at Blackwood Pantry, which serves up tasty seasonal fare such as Turkish poached eggs and nourish bowls. Taking its name from the ocean pool over the road where local nuns once bathed, Cronulla’s hidden gem The Nuns’ Pool serves up seasonal fare for breakfast and lunch in a breezy white space. Tuck into anything from a sumac pork fillet to a felafel burger.
Another local favourite is HAM, named after its owners, brothers Harry and Mario Kapoulas, whose Greek heritage influences the menu at this cleverly styled deli and café. Pull up a chair at the communal table and decide between the generous deli breakfast plate and the famed panini.
For an upscale dinner, head to 1908 Cronulla for its sophisticated coastal food (try a tasting menu with wine pairing) and fragrant cocktails, or head to Alphabet St, a contemporary Thai eatery by Cronulla Beach offering classics such as massaman beef and unique bites such as “big boyz” chicken wings.
On the Hacking River in the Royal National Park, be sure to visit heritage Audley Dance Hall, which houses a wonderful café opening up to an expansive grassy area on which the kids can play. If you feel like having a picnic instead, ask the staff to make you up a bespoke hamper.
Where to drink in Cronulla
Hang oceanside and enjoy a cold beer with the locals at Northies, a long-running beach pub with hearty meals and awesome views of crashing waves on North Cronulla Beach. Another Cronulla waterfront favourite is Splash Tapas Bar, an easy spot at which to while away time with share plates and cocktails. At American-style whisky saloon The Blind Bear you’ll find more than 100 whiskies from around the world, plus classic American-style burgers and fried chicken.
Another hideaway bar is Croydon Lane Wine & Tapas Bar, where you can sit under fairy lights in an urban courtyard, listen to live music, nibble on Spanish-inspired tapas and choose from wines and cocktails. For more live tunes with your drinks, The Brass Monkey is a long-standing venue that offers a vibrant line-up of local and international rock, jazz, blues and comedy acts, and an electric atmosphere in an old-fashioned basement lounge. The food (think generous Mediterranean tasting plates) and efficient service are a bonus.
Blackwood Pantry, Cronulla Credit: Blackwood Pantry
Blackwood Pantry, on Surf Lane in Cronulla.
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Blackwood Pantry, Cronulla Credit: Blackwood Pantry
Blackwood Pantry, on Surf Lane in Cronulla.
Wattamolla, Royal National Park Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Go for a swim at Wattamolla, Royal National Park Sydney.
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Wattamolla, Royal National Park Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Go for a swim at Wattamolla, Royal National Park Sydney.
Where to play
Learn to surf at the Cronulla Surfing Academy, run by Cronulla surfer Blake Johnston and offering lessons for beginners upwards, including female-only lessons. For a different kind of aquatic adventure, take a kayak tour with Bundeena Kayaks in the waterways in and around the coastal village of Bundeena, a 40-minute drive or 30-minute ferry ride south of Cronulla. You can also hire kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.
Hop on the historical trail in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, a 15-minute drive north-east of Cronulla. Discover the area’s rich Aboriginal culture and visit Captain Cook's Landing Place, where in 1770, the local Aboriginal people encountered the crew of the Endeavour.
The Royal National Park, established in 1879, is Australia’s oldest national park and less than an hour’s drive from central Sydney. It’s home to the challenging 26km Coast Track, a two-day walk between Bundeena and Otford, taking in rock engravings carved by the Aboriginal Dharawal people at Jibbon Headland, swimming spots such as Wattamolla, seasonal wildflowers and whale-spotting opportunities, and the famed Wedding Cake Rock, a fragile formation of pure white rock. The not-for-profit outdoor tour operator Emu Trekkers offers guided walks on the Coast Tracks, with proceeds going to support disadvantaged children and youth.
Where to shop
The largest shopping hub in Sydney’s southern suburbs is Westfield Miranda, a 35-minute drive south of the city centre and home to well-known Aussie retailers David Jones, Myer and Target, as well as a cinema complex.
In Cronulla, cruise the shops along the Cronulla Street pedestrian mall as well as nearby Surf Road, where you can drop into Roar for statement pieces and bespoke accessories from a collection of Australian and international designers. Fair trade and sustainable homewares are a highlight at Ur Place, while at In Between Tangerine you can pick up beach-to-bar sundresses and jumpsuits.
This southern beachside region is also peppered with bustling weekend foodie markets where you can pick up fresh, local produce, homemade jams and specialty breads. The Shire Farmers Market is held every Saturday in Sutherland, near the northern entrance to the Royal National Park, while over at the Bundeena Saltwater Markets, held on the first Sunday of every month, you’ll discover artworks, clothes and interesting pieces from local artisans.
Where to stay
Immerse yourself in the great outdoors and set up camp at beautiful Uloola Falls campground in the Royal National Park, where you can sleep to the sound of the waterfall hitting rocks and in the morning set off on a hike or cycle. The North Era campground, overlooking North Era Beach, is another top spot to pitch a tent and an ideal overnight stopover while hiking the Coast Track. A few houses and cottages are dotted throughout the Royal National Park, including the heritage Hilltop Cottage, with views across Port Hacking, and the riverside Weemalah Cottage and Reids Flat Cottage.
For a family-friendly, resort-style stay, Rydges Cronulla Beachside has views of North Cronulla Beach and fresh, contemporary rooms, with an outdoor pool and complimentary use of the hotel’s bikes and beach toys. And Quest Cronulla has stylishly decked-out studios and apartments opposite North Cronulla Beach.
Cronulla Street pedestrian mall, Cronulla Credit: Monde Photo
Restaurants and shops line Cronulla Street pedestrian mall.
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Cronulla Street pedestrian mall, Cronulla Credit: Monde Photo
Restaurants and shops line Cronulla Street pedestrian mall.
Rydges Cronulla Beachside, Cronulla Credit: Rydges Cronulla Beachside
Looking out over North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda beaches from Rydges Cronulla Beachside in Cronulla.
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Rydges Cronulla Beachside, Cronulla Credit: Rydges Cronulla Beachside
Looking out over North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda beaches from Rydges Cronulla Beachside in Cronulla.
More Inspirational Stories
The Fall Guy Credit: Universal & UPI Media
The Fall Guy in Sydney with a spectacular Glebe Island Silo Stunt
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Action-comedy film The Fall Guy explodes onto Australian screens on 24 April, and along with Hollywood superstars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, Sydney also plays a starring role. But the city isn’t just a backdrop to many of the action-packed scenes in the film, it also offers real-life action experiences to get your heart pumping. Here’s our guide to high-octane experiences in Sydney.
On-the-water adrenaline
Just like Ryan Gosling blasting around Sydney Harbour in a high-speed boat chase, you too can feel the wind in your hair, the sea spray on your face and your heart in your mouth on an Oz Jet Boating experience. These bright red, shark-faced jetboats fish-tail, spin and slide under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past Dawes Point Park (where we meet Jean Claude the kelpie in the film) and the iconic Sydney Opera House, leaving you breathless and somewhat damp. Turn it down a notch with a two-, three- or five-day course from EastSail, with classes on the calm shores of Rushcutters Bay, or go five-star by hiring your very own superyacht from the fleet at Sydney Harbour Luxe Charters – Ghost II was featured in the film.
Get locked in an escape room
A bolted door, a countdown clock and a series of fiendish puzzles – outsmart the bad guys and challenge your friends in one of Sydney’s best escape rooms. Award-winning The Cipher Room, with locations in Newtown and St Peters, offers immersive, expertly designed rooms. Choose from a film noir-style hotel, a mysterious abandoned toy shop or a dystopian French bunker. Entermission Sydney has virtual-reality rooms, with themes like Alice in Wonderland, a pirate ship or space station. While not strictly an escape room, the one-of-a-kind Hijinx Hotel is a fun escape-like challenge set inside a quirky 15-room hotel.
Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
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Hickson Road Reserve, Dawes Point Credit: Destination NSW
Friends walking along Sydney Harbour in the morning.
Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
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Oz Jet Boating, Sydney Harbour Credit: Destination NSW
Experience the incredible speed of the red shark boats as they blast across Sydney harbour at high speed with Oz Jet Boating.
Find your need for speed
It’s not an action movie without a car chase, and while you can’t speed through the CBD streets like Ryan Gosling and Jean Claude, you can still challenge your friends to race via go kart at Hyper Karting Moore Park. At the 410-metre indoor track, the electric cars offer plenty of exhilarating straights and corners, with a high-speed function to help you overtake your mates. True petrol heads should make a pitstop at Luddenham Raceway in southwest Sydney, where the go karts are fuelled and the 600m outdoor pro circuit offers 12 high-speed corners and even nighttime drives. Want to do the real thing? Trackschool has half-day passenger or driving experiences in a Porsche 911 Carrera also at the raceway.
Have an adventure up high
A high-stakes, sky-high chopper scene is an action flick essential; recreate the experience (minus the stress) on a flight with Sydney HeliTours. The 20- or 30-minute tours take in jaw-dropping views of harbour icons like the Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Or live out your Hollywood star dreams onboard the luxury Sydney Seaplanes. If free-falling from the sky like Ryan Gosling does jumping from a multi-story building is the heart race you crave, get the thrills without the spills at iFly Downunder: fully accessible, all-ages indoor skydiving that will make you feel like a superhero. Or take a day trip to the Blue Mountains for a ride on Scenic World’s 270m-high glass-cased Beyond Skyway for that soaring feeling while safely enclosed in a cable car.
Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
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Luddenham Raceway, Luddenham Credit: Destination NSW
Track Day at Luddenham Raceway Motorsport Park, Luddenham.
Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
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Sydney Seaplanes, Rose Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Couple ready to enjoy a Sydney Seaplanes flight from Rose Bay, Sydney.
Scale walls and cliffs
Action heroes need to be agile and spider-like; flex your skills scaling rock walls at one of Sydney’s top indoor rock-climbing centres. Climb Fit in St Leonards has beginner and high-tech climbs using augmented reality, while Ledge is a smaller centre in Camperdown perfect for beginners, and BlocHaus in Marrickville focuses solely on bouldering. If you prefer to climb surrounded by waterfalls and forests, make the extra leap to the Blue Mountains, and challenge yourself on an abseil or rock-climb under the expert guidance of the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.
Spots to refuel
After all that adventuring, you’re going to need a spot to refuel and cheers to a big day. Make it a meal with a view at Aster Bar on top of the InterContinental Sydney – with uninterrupted views of the harbour. The rooftop bar featured in the film is the Ivy – which is a local favourite for big nights out. Partake in Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s love for spicy margaritas at Centro 86, a new underground tequila bar in the CBD, or taste award-winning cocktails at Dean and Nancy on 22. Finish up with a feast at one of the restaurants located around Jones Bay Wharf (you’ll spot this area in the film as Ryan Gosling hides on his boat from the bad guys) or snack in the late-night dining havens in Chinatown: try Japanese izakaya Nakano Darling, xiao long bao from Nanjing Dumpling or Mamak’s legendary roti.
Rest your head
Even heroes need their beauty sleep. Rest up like an A-lister at the Kimpton Margot, a recently opened CBD hotel with Art Deco touches, and featured in the movie (ask Kevin for the fruit plate). Compact yet comfortable, the Little National Hotel is located in the heart of the city near Wynyard (also a major filming locale for The Fall Guy). And for a boutique hotel suitable for everyone from film stars to stunt crew, stay in the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills, with unique in-room features like guitars, record players and locally made custom robes.
Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
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Sydney Adventure Tours, Katoomba Credit: Destination NSW
Sydney Adventure Tours offers private tours to the Blue Mountains. With an experienced tour guide, take a bushwalk through nature and experience the rainforests.
Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.
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Little National Hotel, Sydney Credit: Little National Hotel
The rooftop lounge at the Little National, in Wynyard in Sydney.