Parsley Bay beach, Vaucluse: Is it the best family beach in Sydney?

Parsley Bay is Vaucluse is certainly one of the best family beaches in Sydney. The calm water of Parsley Bay beach for swimming, picturesque wooden bridge, waterfall walk, playground and kiosk make it a good Sydney beach for kids.

Parsley Bay is by no means Sydney’s most famous beach. Visitors tend to get the ferry to Manly, or the bus to Bondi Beach for Bondi surf lessons and the coastal walk to Coogee via Bronte and Clovelly Beach.

Sydney harbour beaches are rarely more picturesque than Parsley Bay beach, however. And there is a strong argument for Parsley Bay beach being the best family beach in Sydney.

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Where is Parsley Bay?

Parsley Bay is in the wealthy eastern suburb of Vaucluse, along the Rose Bay to Watsons Bay walk. It is an inlet of Sydney Harbour, and the beach is at the end of it. Parsley Bay is an excellent swimming beach.

The acute angle makes the water especially calm – swells dissipate long before they get near the beach. And that calm water, combined with shark netting that has been in place since 1931, makes this Vaucluse beach especially good for swimming.

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Parsley Bay bridge

What makes Parsley Bay so distinctive, though is that the two vegetation-topped sides of the narrow bay are connected by a rather photogenic wooden bridge. The Parsley Bay bridge crosses the water in front of the beach.

Parsley Bay in Vaucluse, Sydney — Parsley Bay, Vaucluse, is arguably the best family beach in Sydney. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions.

But why is this Vaucluse Beach a contender for the best family beach in Sydney? What makes it the best beach in Sydney for kids?

Swimming at Parsley Bay beach, Vaucluse

Well, the calm water helps. You can let children swim at Parsley Bay without worrying about them being marmalised by the surf. But there is also the Parsley Bay playground on the grassy reserve behind the beach. And a kiosk selling ice creams, drinks and basic snacks which should stop kids asking what’s for dinner.

You can also go for a short walk through the bushland to the head of the gully, where a small waterfall tumbles down. This is a good spot for seeing eastern water dragons.

Parsley Bay walk from Watsons Bay

Of course, if walking is your thing, you can tack Parsley Bay on to the Hermitage Foreshore Walk. Get a ferry to Watsons Bay, then continue south through Vaucluse. After Parsley Bay comes Milk Beach, with its tremendous views of Sydney CBD. Finish at Rose Bay, where the Sydney Seaplanes terminal and Catalina seafood restaurant are right next to each other.