The 8 Best Sydney Beaches Where You Can Spend Your Christmas Day

Here are some beach suggestions to make your trip during the Christmas season more festive and enjoyable.

Summer in Australia is a season of fun, sun and celebrating some festive times including Christmas. It is a great to experience this festive season during summer, and what better way to enjoy Christmas Day than by visiting one of the beautiful beaches in Sydney? Swim in pristine waters, relax alongside Sydney’s coast and take in the Christmas vibe. Bring some meat, prawns along and have a beach-side BBQ! Below are some beach suggestions for your Christmas Day.

Bondi Beach

Photo: Getty Images

Only 7 km (5 miles) from the Sydney’s CBD, Bondi Beach is the epitome of holidaying, summer in this dazzling city. People visit this beach to enjoy surf, sunshine and a true Aussie Christmas. You can get there by bus or train.

Manly Beach

Manly Beach is situated among the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Have a pleasant ferry trip from Circular Quay across Sydney Harbour to Manly. Water quality, great waves, a good atmosphere and an attractive streetscape are also some of the beach’s attractions. There is lots to see and do at Manly beach. Manly has access to the Manly Scenic Walkway, one of Sydney’s best walking tracks, and Manly’s harbourside beaches are some of the favourite spots among Sydneysiders and visitors.

Cronulla Beach 

Photo: Cronulla Beach Backpackers 

Located just 40 minutes south of the city, Cronulla Beach is the heart of the Sutherland Shire. The beach has an excellent range of surfing breaks, some of the best scuba diving in Sydney and countless treasures and wildlife in the rock pools. It’s just fantastic to take a picnic on the shore with some food. What a nice place to visit for an action-packed Christmas Day!

Palm Beach 

Photo: LesterLost 

Palm Beach is one of the best beaches in Sydney and is only 90 minutes by public transport from the city centre. Take in the breathtaking sights of rolling sand dunes, sparkling waters, amazing rock pools and abundant native Australian animals and plants. Enjoy swimming, surfing, kayaking and sailing in this beautiful beach. There are lovely picnic spots, beach-side restaurants and favourite cruises and ferry rides.

Balmoral Beach 

Photo: jbreiti

This lovely harbour beach is another option when you study English in Sydney and want to spend Christmas Day on the beach. It is easily accessed by bus, train. You will love its golden sands, breathtaking water colour and amazing views. There are great grassy areas perfect for picnicking and fantastic facilities available at this beach. Its safe surf and swimming conditions and spectacular surrounds make Balmoral Beach a great place to go with friends this Christmas. 

Bronte Beach

Photo: LesterLost 

Located in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, this is a wonderful part of the city's coastline. It is 2 kilometres south of Bondi Beach and north of Coogee Beach. It has a good stretch of sand, beautiful views of the coast, relaxing surroundings, pristine parkland with at least three large communial BBQs and a number of beach shelters and shaded areas. The beach has good waves for surfers and even has an ocean swimming pool.

Coogee Beach

Photo: LesterLost

This beautiful beach is described as Bondi Beach’s younger sibling. The beautiful waters, the sand and the rocks make the beach one of the natural gems of Sydney’s coast. The location is convenient to eateries and has easy access to public transport and nearby points of attraction. There are a number of BBQs areas on the sea front. The facilities are well-maintained and easily accessible from the beach.

Milk Beach

Photo: Transient 20s 

Located at the base of Hermit Bay within the Sydney Harbour National Park, surrounded by the Heritage-listed Strickland House, Milk Beach offers gorgeous views of Sydney. This harbour-side beach has nice calm waters perfect for everything from swimming, snorkeling to fishing. It is also a great place for sunbaking. There are lots of little spots for picnic. The beach can be accessed via public transport or boat.

Source: The 8 Best Sydney Beaches Where You Can Spend Your Christmas Day | Scots English College

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How Do People in Australia Celebrate Summer Christmas?

Christmas in Australia in mid-summer is more likely to involve a barbie (BBQ), full of seafood and quality steak than a traditional European roast dinner.

Christmas is observed on 25 December each year to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. In Australia, it was introduced as a result of British settlement in 1788 as the cultural norms were transferred to the new colonies.

Australia is located in the Southern hemisphere. When it is winter in the Northern hemisphere, it is summer down here. The heat of summer in Australia has an impact on the way Australians celebrate Christmas. There is no frost and there is no snow. It’s different and it has its charms.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, people hang decorations in their homes, send out greetings cards, sing carols; children delightedly anticipate a visit from Santa Claus. On Christmas Day, family and friends gather to exchange gifts and enjoy special holiday food.

1. BBQ

For lunch, Australians often have freshly caught seafood outdoors at a BBQ. Either, they have a traditional roast turkey and Christmas pudding with plenty of beer and good cheer. Many families eat outdoors if it’s not too hot.

2. Beach

If you are looking to celebrate Christmas differently, replace the snow and lights with sand and sunshine at a Sydney beach. Image: Getty 

Many people spend Christmas outdoors, going to the beach for the day or heading to camping grounds for a longer break. The Beach is the coolest place to be on hot Christmas day. Also, as about 80% live within just 50 kilometers of one, why not head there to play with the waves, meet up with friends, drink ice cold beer and have a climate-appropriate BBQ? Bondi Beach is one of most popular destinations on Christmas Day.

3. Beer 

Drinking beer at Christmas is a typical Aussie tradition. It is often given as a present, being the entry price for joining in the afternoon Christmas celebrations with friends and family.

4. Prawns

Image: Getty 

With the Aussie climate around Christmas, it is ideal to devour the prawns. Australians spend 10 times more prawns at Christmas compared to any other time of the year. A couple of thousand kilos of prawns will be sold in the couple of day before Christmas alone. So when you study English in Sydney and you want to celebrate it in the same way that Australians do, make sure you have prawns for on the BBQ.

5. Cricket 

Image: Getty

People play cricket anywhere, at the beach, park, street, and backyard, either while Christmas lunch/dinner is cooking or after their meal.

6. Carols by Candlelight

Image: Australia’s Guide

As a huge Christmas tradition in Australia, Carols by Candlelight is held all over the country in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The events range from huge gatherings to smaller local community and church events.

Christmas in Australia is also associated with two major sporting events:

7. Boxing Day Test

Image: Getty

The traditional Boxing Day Test begins on 26 December, the day after Christmas each year, and is played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This most keenly anticipated cricket match in world cricket involves the Australian Cricket Team and an international touring side. Tickets are usually sold out months in advance.

8. Sydney to Hobart Yacht

Image: Spirit Fleet

Another significant sporting event is the Sydney to Hobart Yacht race beginning in beautiful Sydney Harbour on 26 December. This is not only Australia’s most prestigious yachting race but also one of the most viewed sailing events in the world.

Source: How Do People in Australia Celebrate Summer Christmas? | Scots English College

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5 Reasons to Study English in Sydney This Summer

The brightness and colour of Sydney’s summer along with abundant activities, events and celebrations will be an epic English experience for you!

Summer – from December to February. Temperatures range from an average of 22 degrees Celsius at night to 35 degree Celsius (and hotter) during the day. This is a great time of the year to explore Sydney. All the colours of this glorious city are on display – sparkling blue water and green foreshores of Sydney Harbour, green parks, golden sand beaches. This is also a spectacular season of festivals and activities!

1. Superb summer climate

The climate of Sydney is relatively mild with the average maximum temperature of 25.8 Celsius degree in summer and 15.9 Celsius degree in winter. Interestingly, the average number of cloudy days per month in summer is twice as many as these days in winter (6).

2. Everything is so alive

Source: sydney.com

Summer is the perfect time to soak up the sun and have some city fun. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and insects and birds go wild. Go out to sparkling blue harbour, green parks and other stunning attractions in the city such as the Rocks, the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Hyde Park and Chinatown. Your Sydney summer experience will not be complete without at least a day on the beach. Tamarama, Bilgola, Freshwater, Bondi, Manly, Bronte, Avalon, Whale Beach, Shelly Beach, Palm beach are some most popular beaches in this exciting city. The night time becomes the new time of day. People play at the park and there are quite a lot of people enjoying lovely walks around Darling Harbour, coming over Harbourside cafes, shops.

If you want to be a bit more adventurous, you may love to take a drive, train or bus trip to the Blue Mountains and meet the Three Sisters, one of Australia’s world-famous natural icons. Alternatively, you can take a day trip in the north, south and west of Sydney with many bush-walking tracks. There is no end to dreamy summertime activities.

3. Abundant events and celebrations

Students, teachers and staff had their Christmas party on 15 December, 2016. Over the morning and evening lessons, over 120 students and teachers took part in the festivities.

Each season come with important festivals that international students can attend. And summer is the time with most number events, starting from the Christmas season in December. If you want to have a different Christmas this year, visit Sydney for a summery Christmas. This holiday is traditionally spent with relatives and friends, making it a great time for a relaxed break in Sydney. There are the epic Christmas Lights Spectacular (Pokolbin), the traditional Gosford Christmas Parade, carols, fairs, markets, freshly caught seafood outdoors at a barbeque, traditional roast dinners around a dining table. Many people spend Christmas out of doors, going to the beach or heading to camping grounds.

Boxing day is observed on the day after Christmas each year. The day is known for the start of the post-Christmas sale season. It has also become a significant sporting day, particularly with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Hat Head Trig Marathon on the North Coast.

New Year’s Day on 1 January is the first day of a new year in the Gregorian calendar used in Australia and many other nations. Its geographical position close to the International Date Line makes Australia one of the world’s first countries to welcome the New Year. In Sydney, there is a huge fireworks display at the start of the New Year. Over one million people are estimated to watch the display at the Sydney Harbour. Smaller displays are organised in other towns and cities.

To celebrate Australia’s National Day (26 January), Australians of all ages and classes get involved in celebrations around the beaches, backyards and parks. In Sydney, people gather at Sydney Habour to join in a big show with a series of extremely attractive events. You also can’t miss the spectacular firework performance here – the most impressive performance of the day and the national pride.

4. A city of diversity

Sydney is one of the world’s most multicultural cities. As estimated in June 2012 by the City of Sydney, 40.1% of the city’s population were born overseas. And top 5 countries for residents born overseas were England, China, India, New Zealand and Vietnam. Sydney’s multicultural nature means overseas students are readily accepted by others.

5. Intensive English courses for any ability

Scots students at class – Photo taken by Bruno Chalaupka

Scots English College (Scots) is a well-equipped, modern and cosy school located in the Sydney Central Business District. It is committed to the highest quality of educational outcomes and the provision of quality student services evident through the delivery of its range of ELICOS courses to international students. Scots achieves this commitment through its culture of quality driven by stakeholder feedback, its quality assurance review process and key responsibilities held by all members of the Scots’ team.

If you are interested in an unforgettable summer English experience, do not hesitate to learn, play and explore with students from all over the world with any of Scots’ premium-quality ELICOS courses. Get ready for your best day ever!

Source: 5 Reasons to Study English in Sydney This Summer | Scots English College

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