Palm Beach Australia

As early as 1832 this grand area of Australia has appeared on maps as Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour. Palm Beach got its name from the Cabbage Tree palms nearby.

But this is no lost spot on the map.

Palm Beach is one of Sydney's chic hang outs with the wealthy spending holiday between Christmas and New Year. Same as in Brazil's Buzios. Yes, you're bound to see a trendy socialite if you're here for a few days.

For Aussies, they know the well known soap opera, Home and Away is shot almost entirely here and many music videos have been filmed right here. The town is just right and the beach - well, breathtaking.

The northernmost point of Palm Beach rise from the beach to 350 feet and has an operational lighthouse called "Barrenjoey". We didn't find any roads on the headland, but it is worth the hike - the views are awesome. Lined by cliffs from Barrenjoey Lighthouse down to Careel Bay, Palm Beach is a haven for water sports.

Palm Beach is home to a number of parks, beaches, and sporting areas, including part of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, and the beach which gives the area its name.

Palm Beach also has a golf club, sailing club and surf school, and two surf lifesaving clubs, one of which, North Palm Beach, is where Home and Away is filmed and has "Summer Bay Surf Club" painted on the beach side of it. The other, Palm Beach, was founded in 1921 and today is patrolled by paid surf lifesavers on weekdays during summer, and by volunteers from the Palm Beach SLSC on weekends. The Surf Club is one of the biggest in NSW, with members coming from all over Sydney.

To get here, bus is the best way to Wynyard. Takes about an hour and a half. If you can afford it, there's a seaplane from Rose Bay.

Beach Index - Palm Beach

• Sand - Mix of rock/coral, medium.
• Facilities - Full throughout the area.
• Shade - umbrellas, trees.
• Sports - windsurfing, sailing, catamrans. Local Palm Beach Watersports at Governor Phillip Park rents everything.
• Notes - barbeque, food kiosk, and nine holes of golf awaits.
  

In 1978, Mel Gibson stared in the movie "Tim" filmed mostly at Barrenjoey Customs House (1911).