I grew up in the middle of corn fields. Literally, my house was surrounded on three sides by 500 acres of farmland. There was no water in site. Every year we would take a trip to Florida for spring break and I would spend all week reading on the beach, walking up and down the beach, and eating seafood. It was my favourite week of the year.

Now I live where there are dozens of beaches that can be driven to within the hour. Sydney is a beach city. Life revolves around the water, especially now that it’s summer. So far, I’ve been to about five beaches. There are the bigger, more touristy ones: Bondi and Manly. And then there’s the quaint, local beaches: Balmoral, Chinaman’s, Avalon. Avalon is about an hour north, but really lovely. Or there’s the Baths here in Northbridge, which isn’t a beach but more of a harbour with a roped off swimming area.

Bondi

Palm Beach- didn’t actually go on the beach, just saw it from a hill top.

Balmoral- might be my favourite so far!

Families here spend as much time near the water as they can. They give their kids every opportunity to go swimming and play on the beach. It’s not unusual for the kids to get picked up after school and head down to the Baths for a swim, something I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams growing up in Indiana. I’m also not usually one to like big cities but Sydney has changed that. It is a big city, with a laid back beach town vibe. A perfect balance of urban and surf. It’s already less than a month before I’ll leave Sydney and I can feel my heart breaking a little…