There is real sense of openness and wildness when visiting Maroubra Beach, The surf is pounding and the South headland so completely clear of any man made structures you could easily mistake yourself for being much further afield than Sydney.

This is one of Australia’s 2 surfing reserve beaches so is frought with rough waves and rips, so it’s definitely not the best waters in the area to play safely with your littlies despite being serviced by 2 life guard stations. However the beach is fantastic, an enormous stretch of golden sand, and it’s much less busy than it’s neighbours Coogee and Bondi. This beach is pretty exposed, so bring a tent in the summer, you can find shaded picnic benches to the side of the lifesavers building.

There’s plenty of free 4 hr parking at this beach, large toilet and changing facilities. If your looking for a rockpool, head to the North end, follow the coast and you’ll find the Mahon Pool at the base of Jack Vanny Reserve.

Plenty of parkland opposite the beach, with a few BBQ’s. There’s an excellent skate park right behind the beach that’s much bigger than it’s Bondi counterpart and a nice little fenced & gated playground that’s really great for under 3′s. There’s a little kiosk too, but there’s much better cafe fare to be had elsewhere.

Why come here? To get away from the busier beaches especially in summer, to park for free! and if you have a budding surf or skater dude(tte), this is the place to come watch the pros.