Pittwater Kayak Tours, Palm BeachCredit: Destination NSW
Friends enjoying a sunrise kayaking experience in Pittwater with Pittwater Kayak Tours, Palm Beach.
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Exult in the sense of freedom of a beach holiday without leaving Sydney with these daytrips to vibrant coastal communities that are just a short drive from the very heart of the city. From the urban cool of the world-famous beach at Bondi and the breezy resort feel of Manly to the sublime natural beauty and exclusive retreats of Palm Beach, step onto the sand, take a deep breath of salty air and feel yourself instantly unwind.
Saunter onto Australia’s most famous beach
Be astounded at how urban culture collides with laidback beach vibes at Bondi Beach, less than a 20-minute drive from the bustling city centre. Be delighted and moved by the colourful, thought-provoking street art on Bondi’s Graffiti Wall stretching along the beachfront promenade, then kick your shoes off, dig your toes into the soft sand of Bondi’s iconic crescent-shaped beach and embrace the waves.
Slip into the local surfer scene with a board-riding lesson with the experienced team at Let’s Go Surfing, enjoy an invigorating swim sheltered from waves at the ocean pool at Bondi Icebergs, or watch the waves crash against the rocks on the 6km clifftop coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee, stopping to refresh with a dip at famous ocean pools and beaches along the way.
Follow the coastal walk back to Bondi to browse designer fashion and accessories at boutiques on Gould Street — check out home-grown labels such as Jac and Jack and Lucy Folk as well as men’s clothing and lifestyle brand Saturdays NYC — and perhaps pick up a new swimsuit.
Watch the last rays of sunshine light up the headlands while sipping a cocktail on the terrace at Hotel Ravesis or Icebergs, above the Bondi Icebergs pool. In summer, soak up the beachfront views from the balcony at North Bondi Fish or the pop-up eateries taking over the space in winter. Then savour the fresh, sustainable sushi at Raw Bar, wood-fired pizzas at Da Orazio, or charcoal-grilled Greek seafood and share plates at Topikós.
Hang on to that chilled Bondi vibe and stay the night at QT Bondi, a quirky designer hotel directly opposite the beach; check in to a boutique beach-front room or suite at Hotel Ravesis, which has luxe serviced apartments for longer stays; or make yourself at home at Adina Apartment Hotel Bondi Beach Sydney, where you can relax and recharge in studios and larger apartments with kitchens and laundries.
Lets Go Surfing, Bondi Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Small group enjoying a learning to surf experience with Lets Go Surfing, Bondi Beach.
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Lets Go Surfing, Bondi Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Small group enjoying a learning to surf experience with Lets Go Surfing, Bondi Beach.
Bondi Icebergs, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a morning swim at Bondi Icebergs, Bondi Beach.
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Bondi Icebergs, Sydney Credit: Destination NSW
Couple enjoying a morning swim at Bondi Icebergs, Bondi Beach.
Cross the harbour to a surf beach haven
Take a spectacular 30-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay in Sydney’s city centre to discover another beachside idyll at Manly. The first of a long string of golden beaches stretching north along the coast, Manly feels more like a holiday destination than a suburb of a global city. Step off the ferry at Manly Wharf, one of Sydney’s hottest dining destinations, and stop in for a refreshing drink at the Wharf Bar or its sister-venue The Tropic, or fuel up with pizzas and Italian-inspired seafood dishes at Hugos Manly.
Or leave the eateries and bars for later and meet your cycling guide from Joe’s Mountain Bike Tours at the Manly ferry terminal. Jump on a supplied bike for a thrilling personalised tour along some of Sydney’s most scenic trails, such as a ride around Manly Dam with magnificent views of the dam and ocean.
Bring your swimsuit and wade into the big surf for a revitalising swim at Manly Beach, or splash around the quieter waters of Shelly Beach, a sheltered stretch of sand at the southern end of the main beach. Thrill to close encounters with some underwater locals, like big blue groupers and harmless wobbegong sharks, on a guided snorkelling (or a stand-up paddle boarding and snorkelling) tour of the marine reserve off Shelly Beach with EcoTreasures. Trade stories with your travelling companions of what you’ve seen under the waves over a seafood lunch at The Boathouse Shelly Beach.
The Boathouse is just one of many great places to eat and drink between the beach and the ferry wharf. Watch the ocean darken as dusk approaches from the rooftop bar at Manly Greenhouse, or leave the surfers to the last rays of sunlight and seek out the hip laneway bar Banco Manly or the New York-style loft bar Donny's. Graze on antipasti and handmade pasta at Busta, freshly caught seafood at The Herring Room or Manly icon Garfish, or choose from one of the many restaurants at Manly Wharf.
Ferries depart for Circular Quay until after midnight, but you may want to make more than a day of your time in Manly and get a room for the night. Gaze out to the horizon from a beachfront balcony room at The Sebel Sydney Manly Beach, at the southern end of the beach, or at Manly Pacific, a few blocks further north along the sand.
Surfing, Manly Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Surfers enjoying a day in the water at Manly Beach, Manly.
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Surfing, Manly Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Surfers enjoying a day in the water at Manly Beach, Manly.
Manly Pacific Credit: Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific
Enjoying the view at the Manly Pacific Hotel in Manly, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
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Manly Pacific Credit: Novotel Sydney Manly Pacific
Enjoying the view at the Manly Pacific Hotel in Manly, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Bliss out in natural beauty in the north
Make what may seem like a whole holiday’s worth of memories on a daytrip to Palm Beach, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful parts of the city. Make the 45-minute drive from Manly or the 70-minute trip from the city centre to immerse in a world of outstanding natural beauty bounded by Sydney’s northernmost coastal point, Barrenjoey Head, a long ocean beach and a string of sheltered beaches and leafy parks on the Pittwater side of peninsula.
Get your heart pumping on a hike up Barrenjoey Head to heritage-listed Barrenjoey Lighthouse, take your first steps to mastering surfing with a Manly Surf School lesson at the reassuringly named Kiddies Corner at the southern end of Palm Beach, or take a paddle to the protected waters of beautiful Pittwater with Pittwater Kayak Tours. Stir your spirit with the elevated views of Palm Beach’s sandy shores from the Bible Garden before joining a tour of locations used to film the long-running Australia soap opera Home and Away.
At Palm Beach Wharf, on the Pittwater side of the peninsula, jump on a ferry for the short journey across the breathtakingly pretty waterway to Mackerel Beach, where you can challenge yourself with a hike to remote Resolute Beach in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Explore the hidden beaches of the national park on an indulgent luxury yacht cruise with Taylor Made Escapes, or have an unforgettable close encounter with humpback whales during the winter migration season with Fantasea Cruising.
Savour a long lunch or dinner while gazing out at the incredible water views at Dunes Palm Beach, on the ocean side of the peninsula, or The Boathouse on the Pittwater. Linger over a fabulous meal before retiring to rest and recharge at your luxe room at Barrenjoey House, a pretty heritage restaurant and guesthouse, or Jonah’s, an ocean retreat with amazing views a few minutes’ drive away at neighbouring Whale Beach. Or gather your tribe for a reunion at the gorgeous five-bedroom Crane Lodge, surrounded by wild bushland around a five-minute drive south of Jonah’s.
Manly Surf School, Freshwater Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Adults enjoying a learn to surf experience with Manly Surf School at Freshwater Beach.
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Manly Surf School, Freshwater Beach Credit: Destination NSW
Adults enjoying a learn to surf experience with Manly Surf School at Freshwater Beach.
Crane Lodge, Palm Beach
Hanging in the lush canopy of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Crane Lodge is suspended at the apex of endangered angophora bushland.
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Crane Lodge, Palm Beach
Hanging in the lush canopy of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Crane Lodge is suspended at the apex of endangered angophora bushland.
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.