Balmoral Beach and Boat House: One of my most favourite kid friendly beaches and cafe's in Sydney

There are so many spectacular beaches in Sydney that it's quite hard to pick a favourite.  I change my mind every week and after nearly three years of living on the beaches I still keep discovering new places that I haven't seen before. Lucky?? ABSOLUTELY!!

On Wednesday I met a friend at Balmoral Beach, Mosman for a picnic with the kids and it was just so stunning that it is now my new top runner.

I have a tough life don't I??  I really shouldn't post these pictures of me chilling in the winter sunshine (on a school day) watching the girls play.  Mr D will stop believing me when I tell him I've had another crazy, hectic day!!  There are parts of it that are, I swear, but this particular morning was parental bliss!

Balmoral really is a great spot for kids.  There is hardly ever more than just a gentle lapping wave, which is not idea for surfers, but absolutely perfect for a bucket and spade, dipping your toes or even having a sneaky swim.  My girls love it because there are no big, scary waves to knock them down.  And of course the backdrop of gently bobbing boats and endless amounts of blue is enough to calm down even the most stressed out nerves!!

This photo was taken on the far south side of Balmoral, looking north.

There is ample parking available right on the beach so you don't you don't have too far to go with all that 'stuff' that you have to take to the beach when you have the kids in tow. (Gone are the days when all that was required was a sarong and a good book - although what a place to escape and read). There is also a fabulous kids playground right next to the beach, which is very well shaded from the sun.  I will just mention that it is not fenced in, so you do have to keep a close eye on the kids.

Pretty perfect shade for a hot, sunny day

One of my favourite things about Balmoral are the trees!!  You absolutely CANNOT miss them. They are the most enormous and almost magical looking trees I've ever seen.  There are just so many adventures waiting to happen in those branches and huge roots.  I bet Enid Blyton wrote the Magic Faraway Tree based on one just like this.  I had never seen these trees before coming to Sydney so I had to do a little bit of investigating to find out more about them. After having a chat with Mum Deep over on Instagram I learned that are called Morton Bay Fig trees which are Native to Australia.  They were originally brought to Sydney and NSW from Queensland during the great depression to improve the appearance of the coastline.  Well, they've certainly done that, that's for sure!

There are so many reasons why you could settle down at Balmoral Beach quite easily for the ENTIRE day.  One of them is the cafe's and restaurants, with my absolute FAVOURITE being the The Boat House.  I have to be totally honest and say that I would far rather enjoy a breakfast or lunch at the Boat House without the kids, just so that I could actually enjoy my meal and the stunning scenery without and inevitable drama, but saying that it is perfectly kid friendly if you did have them with you.

Right next door to the Boat House is a little Kiosk, selling fish and chips, basic sandwiches, ice-creams, cakes and GOOD coffee.  Over lunch time this doesn't get nearly as busy as the Boat House and is perfect for a takeaway on the beach.  Hot chips beautifully wrapped in brown paper will keep any half-naked beach babies happy!! (or maybe that's just my kids???).

I left feeling very relaxed with a pair of super happy but super exhausted girls and a big, beautiful bunch of lilies from the Boat House shop.

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