Palm Beach is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

in the

Northern Beaches The Northern Beaches is a region within Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, near the Pacific coast. This area extends south to the entrance of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour), west to Middle Harbour and north to the en ...

region of

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, in the state of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Palm Beach is located north of the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

Northern Beaches Council The Northern Beaches Council is a local government area located in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 after the amalgamation of Manly, Pittwater and Warringa ...

. Palm Beach sits on a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

at the end of Barrenjoey Road, between

Pittwater Pittwater is a semi-mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary, located about north of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies of water that separate greater Metropolitan Sydney from the Ce ...

and Broken Bay. Sydway street directory, 11th Edition 2006, Maps 159-160 The population of Palm Beach was 1,593 as at the . Palm Beach is sometimes colloquially referred to as 'Palmy'; and is used for exterior filming of the soap opera ''

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'', as the

fictional town A fictional city refers to a town, city or village that is invented for fictional stories and does not exist in real life, or which people believe to exist without definitive proof, such as Plato's account of Atlantis. Cultures have always had l ...

Summer Bay Summer Bay is the fictional coastal town featured in the Australian soap opera, '' Home and Away''. Palm Beach, the most Northern beach of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Between 2010 and 2014, the ...

. It is also the subject of the 2018 film 'Palm Beach'. Despite the hefty property prices it remains a haven for a variety of artists. Writing celebrating this beach is featured in "Guide to Sydney Beaches"

Meuse Press ''Meuse Press'' is an Australian Press, publishing a range of "poetry outreach" projects in a number of media ranging from a literary magazine to poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of ...

. Palm Beach housing ranges from cottages to grand estates, owned by some of the country's most affluent people. Many affluent and famous people can also be found holidaying at Palm Beach in summer. According to the Australian Taxation Office statistics for the financial year of 2016–2017, Palm Beach and the post code of 2108 was the wealthiest suburb in Australia, with an average taxable income of $230,000.

Geography

Palm Beach is bounded by Broken Bay to the north, the

Tasman Sea The Tasman Sea (Māori: ''Te Tai-o-Rēhua'', ) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abe ...

(within the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

) to the east, Whale Beach,

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

and Clareville to the south, and Pittwater to the west. Barrenjoey Headland, which is in the north of the suburb, is part of

Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a national park on the northern side of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The park is north of the Sydney central business district and generally comprises the land east of the M1 Pacific Motorway, sout ...

. The headland at the northernmost point rises quite sharply from the beach to over

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, and features an operational lighthouse. The narrow sandy isthmus or

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island become ...

linking the south side of the headland to the rest of Palm Beach had extensive fencing and shrub planting undertaken during the 1980s to combat sand erosion.

Localities

The suburb of Palm Beach also contains the following localities: Barrenjoey, Sand Point, Careel Bay,

Paradise Beach ''Paradise Beach'' is an Australian television series made by Village Roadshow Pictures. It was made in association with America's Genesis Entertainment which later merged with New World Television for the Nine Network, and aired between 1993 ...

, and North Avalon.

Reserves and bushland

Along the cliffs and sanddunes there is much remnant bushland vegetation, located in reserves and national parks, with Barrenjoey headland being part of

. These reserves often contain endangered ecological communities, such as ''Littoral Rainforest'', and '' Pittwater spotted gum forest''. See, for example, the articles, McKay Reserve, and Barrenjoey.

Landmarks

Landmarks include the Barrenjoey Lighthouse, Palm Beach-Boanbong Water Reservoir, Palm Beach-McKay Water Reservoir, Palm Beach-Squaters Lodge, Blueberry Ash, and Iluka Resort Apartments. The long east-facing

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous beach curves in a gentle arc between the prominent high, lighthouse capped, Barrenjoey Head to the sandstone rocks of Little Head in the south, beach linking Barrenjoey to the mainland. North Palm Beach extends south from Barrenjoey, with the northern backed by a wide densely vegetated foredune. The southern Palm Beach section includes the southern of beach, which curves to the southeast in the southern Kiddies Corner. It receives increasing protection from Little Head with waves decreasing in height down the beach. Rips usually extend all the way to the head, though usually smaller in size, with a weak permanent rip against the southern rocks.

History

Palm Beach Public Swimming Pool April 2021

Origin of the name

The southern end of the Palm Beach is marked as Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour on a map of 1832. Palm Beach was later named after the Cabbage Tree palms ''Livistona australis'' that were near

Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an Annual plant, annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabb ...

. The plant's species name gave origin to Livistona Lane, off Palm Beach Road.

European settlement

Governor Philip explored the area in 1788, and named the headland 'Barrenjuee', which was an indigenous word apparently meaning 'young kangaroo'. In 1816, Palm Beach, Barrenjoey and most of Whale Beach () was granted to James Napper. During the 19th century, a few Europeans and Chinese lived at Snapperman Beach catching and drying fish. The Southern end of the ocean beach is marked as Cabbage Tree Boat Harbour on a map of 1832. Palm Beach was later named after the Cabbage Tree palms ''Livistona australis''. In 1900 all land, except Barrenjoey Headland, which had been purchased by the government in 1881, was divided into 18 large blocks, listed as good grazing land, and offered for sale. None sold. In 1912, the land was offered again in smaller residential blocks, offering fishing, sailing, golf and rowing. Most houses were built from local sandstone, other materials were shipped in. Some were guest houses but most were second homes for those who could afford them. Palm Beach wharf was the terminus reached by boat from Newport or Bayview. Hordern and Wiltshire Parks and Mackay Reserve were donated by RJ Hordern, who lived at Kalua, opposite the beach. Since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the area has become more residential but still remains a secluded peninsula at the northern point of Pittwater.

Timeline of history

* Aboriginal inhabitants in area- Garigal clan of Guringai speaking people. Lands extended from Broken Bay to Port Jackson and to Lane Cove. * 1770- Captain Cook names Broken Bay. * 1788-1789- area explored by Governor

Arthur Phillip Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales. Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...

and Captain John Hunter * 1788-

(1738–1814) 2 March 1788, named "Barrenjuee" (Little Kangaroo or Wallaby). Barrenjoey has had at least 9 different names. * 1806- A sole ship wreck survivor is rescued by Aboriginals in Broken Bay. * 1816 Land grant to Surgeon James Napper RN by Governor Macquarie (1761–1824) – Headland to Whale Beach,8/- pa. * 1804- Pat Flynn had a large garden below Observation Pt (facing Pittwater south of golf course) to supply passing ships. * 1825- John Howard, an

emancipist An emancipist was a convict sentenced and transported under the convict system to Australia, who had been given a conditional or absolute pardon. The term was also used to refer to those convicts whose sentences had expired, and might sometimes ...

who arrived on the first fleet in 1788 lives at Barrenjoey in a cottage with two other fishermen. * 1843- Customs Station set up under John B Howard. Near ranger's cottage. Constructed Smugglers Track. Smuggling of rum, brandy, tobacco. Today drugs & narcotics. * 1840- Albert Black (1840–1890) becomes customs officer and adopted grandson of merchant

Simeon Lord Simeon Lord ( – 29 January 1840) was a pioneer merchant and a magistrate in Australia. He became a prominent trader in Sydney, buying and selling ship cargoes. Despite being an emancipist Lord was made a magistrate by Governor Lachlan Mac ...

famous in early Sydney. * 1842- Four Convicts build a Customs house at Barrenjoey and build a track to the headland. * 1855- A navigation light is established on the headland. * 1863- A Chinese fishing settlement is established at Snappermans Beach. * 1881- Government repurchased headland for £1250 from the Wentworth family. * 1881- A stone lighthouse and three cottages are built according to the designs of Colonial Architect James Barnet. * 1893- A school is established at Palm Beach. * 1911- Palm Beach is subdivided and an extension to Customs house is built. * 1912- Telephone is connected to Palm Beach. * 1916-1919 The oldest bungalows were built at Palm Beach during this period. * 1921- Palm Beach Surf Lifesaving Club is established. * 1976-

Customs house A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

burnt down. * 1978-

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...

stars in the movie "Tim" filmed mostly at Barrenjoey Customs House (1911) * 1988–present- Palm Beach is the location of exterior scenes for Summer Bay, the fictional coastal town featured in the long-running soap opera ''

''. * 2004-2005- Construction of a Museum and a Public Toilet next to the lighthouse. * 2013-A fire engulfs the Barrenjoey headland 28 September 2013, threatening to destroy the heritage listed headland. It is contained by local firefighters and no damage to infrastructure was sustained. The bush has slowly recovered. Many historic images of Pittwater and Palm Beach may be found a
Pittwater online news: Historic Record of Pittwater

Heritage listings

Palm Beach has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Barrenjoey Headland: Barrenjoey Head Lighthouse

Commercial area

Facilities in Palm Beach include a milk bar, a large RSL, hairdresser, beautician, preschool, and a number of cafes, restaurants, and bed and breakfast establishments.

Schools

The nearest primary school and high school for people residing in Palm Beach are the Avalon Public School – which is a co-educational primary school catering for students K – 6 and Barrenjoey High School – which is a co-educational high school catering for students 7 – 12. Both are state-funded, public schools.List of NSW Public Schools: A-Z List 2015
/ref> There is also Maria Regina – which is a co-educational Catholic primary school catering for students K – 6.

Transport

''Palm Beach Seaplanes'' operate

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

services from Palm Beach to Rose Bay in Sydney's

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

, Cottage Point and

Berowra Waters Berowra Waters is an outer suburb of Northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Berowra is located 40 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. Berowra Waters is ...

. Palm Beach Water Airport is located at the north end of Governor Phillip Drive and Golf Drive, just south of the headland. The Palm Beach

Ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

runs a service from a wharf in the town centre to Ettalong,

Great Mackerel Beach Great Mackerel Beach is a suburb about 43 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, from 2016 in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, formerly part of Pittwater Council. I ...

, Currawong Beach,

Coasters Retreat Coasters Retreat is an offshore suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 42 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. Location Coaste ...

and The Basin. Palm Beach and Hawkesbury River Cruises runs a ferry service from Palm Beach wharf to

Patonga Patonga is a small beach side fishing and holiday village which is part of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, located on the edge of Brisk Bay and near the mouth of the Hawkesbury River. It is part of the local government ...

. Barrenjoey Road provides access by bus or car. Bus route 199 operated by

Keolis Downer Northern Beaches Keolis Downer Northern Beaches is a bus operator in Sydney, Australia. A subsidiary of Keolis Downer, it operates services in Sydney Bus Region 8 on the Lower North Shore and Northern Beaches under contract to Transport for NSW. Its headquar ...

operates to

Manly wharf Manly Wharf is a heritage-listed passenger terminal wharf and recreational area located at West Esplanade and serving Manly, a Sydney suburb in the Northern Beaches Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. Since the 1850 ...

Sport and recreation

Palm Beach has a number of parks, beaches, and sporting areas, including part of the

, and the beach which gives the area its name. Careel Bay Ovals Sporting Complex includes facilities for rugby league, soccer and tennis. Palm Beach has a golf club, sailing club, surf school and two

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, inc ...

clubs. The North Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club, is used as a set for television

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

'' and has 'Summer Bay Surf Club' painted on the beach side.

Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club The Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club is an Australian Surf Life Saving Club. The Club offers a range of activities and encourages members to continually develop and update their lifesaving skills. It is located at the southern end of Palm Beach, ...

, founded in 1921 (at the south end of the beach), 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. The beach also attracts rock climbers, due to there being two sandstone boulders with highly featured vertical and overhanging features allowing for bouldering.

Clubs

* Avalon Soccer Club * Avalon Rugby League Club * Cabbage Tree Club * Careel Bay Tennis Club * North Palm Beach Surf Life Saving Club * Pacific Club * Palm Beach Golf Club * Palm Beach Sailing Club *

In Popular Culture

Palm Beach (2019 Film)

Palm Beach (1980 Film)
* Palm Beach Road is referred to in the lyrics of the song "Deep Water" by Australian singer-songwriter Richard Clapton. * The music video for Train on a Track by

Kelly Rowland Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's List of best-selling girl groups, best-selling girl ...

was filmed here. * Palm Beach has been used as the location for the town of

in the TV series