Below the loop at La Perouse, a calm beach named for the French expedition that arrived days after the First Fleet, with snorkelling water close by and a westerly outlook that makes it one of the few Sydney beaches facing the sunset. Good to know: mornings are stillest, and the La Perouse museum is up the hill.
Frenchmans Bay Reserve sits right behind the sand with toilets, a playground, barbecues, picnic tables and an outdoor gym, and there is free parking on Endeavour Avenue. Dogs, alcohol and glass stay off the beach. Randwick lifeguards run jet ski patrols from 1 December to the end of February. Behind the reserve, the dunes and bush form a wildlife corridor into Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Give the water a day to clear after heavy rain.