Clareville

Clareville is the other side of the peninsula entirely — no surf, no crowds, just Pittwater’s calm water lapping a small grassy foreshore five minutes from Avalon village. It’s the spot locals bring young kids for a paddle, or launch a paddleboard into water so still it barely counts as swimming, more floating.

Boats moor just offshore, Scotland Island sits across the water, and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park rises green behind it all. There’s a barbecue area, a fabulous restaurant tucked into the reserve, and a genuine locals-only feel that comes from being a little harder to find than everywhere else. If Avalon is the Northern Beaches’ village heart, Clareville is its quiet backyard.