Try Balmoral Beach. It's a harbour beach so you won't get waves. There's also a playground, lots of grass, toilets, a kiosk, and a little island the kids can check out.

Or try Shelly Beach at Manly. It's sheltered and is very popular with kids. There are toilets and a kiosk nearby.

Nielsen Park in Vaucluse/Rose Bay is another good beach for kids. It's got a big park with shady trees right next to the beach, huge change rooms, a kiosk and gorgeous views.

Another great beach for kids is Chowder Bay, at Clifton Gardens. It's a harbour beach so there are no waves.

There's a pier for fishing, a big park, playground, public toilets and a kiosk. There are also plenty of tables and chairs and huge shady trees for those extra hot days.

This is an incredibly clean and safe place and it is stunning.

Try Coogee beach. It's certainly not wave free but as long as you make sure the kids swim between the flags where the lifeguards can keep an eye on them, they'll be alright. Coogee also has lots of parkland around the beach and a good coastal walking track to South Coogee at one end and Clovelly at the other, if you want to get them to do a bit more exercise before tiring them out completely so they can go to bed straight away! Gotta love that one!!!

Clovelly is a good beach too. It's very narrow and looks more like a very large swimming pool. The sand section is quite small. On hot days there are always plenty of parents, kids and shade tents around. There's a lovely big, shady park right next to the beach too, and a kiosk/cafe with good views.

I can't believe no-one has suggested Manly. It's an excellent beach for kids. There's the harbour beach in between the wharf and the Aquarium. There are always plenty of families with small kids there but it never gets overcrowded. Otherwise, you can head to the ocean beach and stay between the flags!