Tourists tend to rush for the drama of the ocean beaches - Bondi, Manly, Bronte, Coogee, Palm Beach - but there are dozens of beautiful little harbour beaches, which are better for tentative swimmers. The harbour is beautifully clear and clean (except for two days after torrential rain when the storm water turns it brown). Shark Bay at Nielson Park, Vaucluse, has a net and is very child friendly. And while tourists swarm like wasps around the over-hyped fish restaurants at Watson's Bay, you can stroll 500 yards through the old fishing village to the peace of Camp Cove, the best of the harbour beaches. (It's not that camp: the gay harbour beach, Lady Jane Beach, is the next one along.)

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Little Bay is a beautiful and protected beach in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. Drive through the old close Prince Henry hospital ground, walk through a golf course and head down the stairs. It's an un patrolled beach but has a small nature reef that protects it from the elements. Great for kids and dogs and has heaps of over hanging rock ledges for shade.

South east of Randwick in Sydney and is bounded by Malabar to the north Chifley and Phillip Bay to the west, and La Perouse to the south.

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That's not an Australian beer, but a little metal boat with a modest outboard motor. Go to Rose Bay, where you can rent one for about $200, hire some fishing tackle, and pootle out into the harbour. Navigating a busy shipping lane and dozens of ferries is not as daunting as it seems and you can always find a quiet, hidden corner of the vast harbour. I only caught some seaweed but there are plenty of focused fishermen catching serious sea creatures out there.

Rose Bay Marina, 594 New South Head Road, Rose Bay; Tel: +61 (0)2 9363 5930

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