Photo by Hamilton Lund, courtesy Tourism New South Wales
The unbroken stretch of Cronulla beaches lies along a long golden arc facing Bate Bay from Cronulla Point in the south to Kurnell Peninsula in the northeast. They are favorite places for surfing, body boarding and, in protected sections, swimming.
Cronulla Beach (sometimes referred to as South Cronulla Beach to differentiate it from its northern neighbor) is the closest to Cronulla train station which is on the other side of the Cronula peninsula. Walk east from Cronulla station through Beach Park into Cronulla Park and into Cronulla Beach.
Cronulla Beach is a relatively small beach but it adjoins a carpark and is close to restaurants and cafes. A short walk north, past a rocky outcrop with two rock pools, is North Cronulla Beach adjoining Dunningham Park and a pedestrian mall with a variety of restaurants alongside it.
The beach then stretches north in that arc of golden sand all the way to Kurnell Peninsula.
Along the way are Elouera Beach and Wanda Beach. You only notice they are differently named beaches by the surf lifeaving clubhouses there.
Cronulla, North Cronulla, Elouera and Wanda surf lifesavers patrol the beaches as well as observe beach activity from lookout towers.
Swimmers are advised to always swim between the flags for safety.
South of Cronulla Point are the tiny isolated beaches of Blackwoods and Shelly. Shelly Beach and Glaisher Point south of Shelly Beach have rock pools for those who like swimming in a protected environment.
There are beachside walkways all the way from Wanda Beach south to Glaisher Point, then around Bass and Flinders Point to Hungry Point at the southwest end of the Cronulla peninsula.
For those who drive, there's parking west of Cronulla Park, west and north of Dunningham Park, west of Wanda Beach and all along the beachside roads.