This crescent-shaped, .8 mile stretch of seashore is always listed among the best of Sydney’s 100 plus beaches. Typically, Manly Beach is rated number one. During the 19th century, the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company marketed this haven as, “Seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care.” What a perfect description! Less crowded but equally enjoyable stretches of sand are Freshwater Beach just north of Queenscliff Head and Shelly Beach to the south at the end of Marine Parade.