Family Beach in October?
 

My family with one toddler and one preschooler (I know, you hope you are not on our flight!)is heading to Sydney for a wedding in early October. We would like to find a nice, swimmable beach with warm weather and are open to train travel or a long car trip. We are not expecting to do much sightseeing. A low-key, sunny, warm destination is what we are seeking! Any help is very much appreciated.

Unfortunately the first 2 weeks of October are school holidays in NSW and the the first weekend is a long weekend. Having said that, early October is not really beach holday time for most Sydney-siders. The water is still fairly cold, although the air temperature should be warm. <BR>Are you specifically looking to get out of Sydney for a few days, because Sydney has tons of excellent beaches itself. However, If you do want to get away, Port Stephens is a great place about 2½ hours drive north.

Thank you for your response, particularly the information on the school holiday. We are not necessarily seeking to leave Sydney - we are just looking for a warm, sunny, swimmable beach vacation. We have to be in Sydney for the wedding, so that is either our starting or ending point.<BR><BR>Any help is MUCH appreciated! Thank you.

If you want swimmable weather, you really need to be north of Brisbane. You could fly to Cairns or Hamilton Island, either would be nice at that time of the year.<BR>If you only want a beach for the children to play on, Port Stephens is really nice (you could go dolphin watching) and lots of accommodation choices. Alternatively there are some nice beaches south of Sydney.<BR>Don't worry too much about the flight - there is sure to be a nice grandmotherly type on your flight who will take them off your hands for a while.

There are 37 beaches in Sydney, and most are easy to get to by public transport. <BR><BR>Some have excellent surf, but some have no surf/waves which may be what you mean by 'family beach.' Clovelly Beach is a 'pleasant family beach'.<BR><BR>If you want more info, try one of these websites...<BR><BR>http://www.discoversydney.com.au (try their 'beach guide') and<BR><BR>http://www.australianexplorer.com<BR>

Again, thank you! By "family beach," I do mean a beach or beach area that is easy to get to with the kids and has manageable waves. We would like water warm enough for swimming. The posts are very helpful. It seems as if Sydney will be too cold to go in the water...