Residential experts name the best lifestyle gems hiding along Sydney's coastline

What, on earth, could be better than living at Avalon Beach or Palm Beach?

That answer is easy, say some of Sydney’s residential experts: it’s living at one of the much quieter, more secluded and hidden beaches dotted up and down our coastline.

“We have something like 200-plus beaches in the Sydney region, and there are some fabulous lesser-known gems in there which are great to live at,” says John Cunningham, the NSW president of the Real Estate Institute of Australia.

“I think we have more beaches than any other city in the world and we regularly have overseas visitors coming and saying they can’t believe people can actually live in these places. They’re paradise.”

Take 10 Delecta Avenue, for instance, an architect-designed five-bedroom home at Clareville on the northern beaches next to far busier Avalon. With lots of steep winding roads, it’s not terribly accessible to visitors, nor easy to find, which keeps it a perfect, quiet place for families, says Ray White Palm Beach agent Noel Nicholson.

“I think beaches like that are much nicer than somewhere like Bondi Beach as it’s a place for locals and their families,” he says. “Everyone knows each other and says hello when they’re out walking their dogs in the morning. There’s a real community feel.

“It [Clareville Beach] has all the beauty and charm of Iluka Road – Palm Beach’s most desirable waterfront location – but with none of the crowds.”

“It’s the kind of place that people live over generations. All these beachfront reserve properties are simply so special.” 

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The home, for sale by expressions of interest, has a price guide of around $6 million to $6.5 million.

At nearby Mona Vale, LJ Hooker agent Ben Crockford also loves Clareville as one of the quieter beaches, along with Bungan Beach and Bilgola.

“They’re all wonderful beaches to live at,” he says. “There are some old cottages left in some places, but most have been knocked down to make way for big, beautiful modern properties. They’re such lovely beachfronts.”

Down south, the pick of the perfect peaceful sands are on Darook Park Road in Cronulla, Bay Lane and Salmon Hall, says David Highland, of Highland Property Agents Cronulla.

“They’re all hidden away and are pretty quiet and have achieved some of the highest prices of the whole of the Sutherland Shire, from $4 million to over $10 million,” he says.

“There’s also the other side, at Bundeena, where there are more secluded beaches.”

Sydney’s eastern beaches are probably among our best known, however. Of those, Alex Phillips of Phillips Pantzer Donnelley singles out Bronte and Clovelly as the best of the quieter stretches of sand.

“Bronte is good as there’s no pub or backpackers or hotels down there,” he says. “That gives it more of a sense of community and there are fewer transient people around which is why people love living there.

“Clovelly is pretty much the same scenario, although there’s a pub. But it’s more for swimmers to do laps and it’s great for younger children to learn how to swim.”

Good homes on Bronte Beach go for anything from $6 million to $20 million, he says; Clovelly is comparatively cheaper – from $5 million to $12 million.

Other quiet residential beaches that are Sydney standouts include Freshwaters, The Basin at Collaroy, Fisherman’s Beach, Turimetta Beach, Bigola and Great Mackerel Beach, says John Cunningham.

He also loves Lady Jane Beach, Seven Shillings Beach, Clifton Gardens and some of the little sandy bays that reveal beaches at low tide around Mosman.

“We are lucky to have so many amazing quiet beaches in Sydney where people can have homes,” says Cunningham. “We had one of the board members from the National Realtors Association of the US here recently, from California, and even he couldn’t believe his eyes!”

Download the Domain app to search for more properties like 10 Delecta Avenue. 

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