Freshwater, NSW 2096

I've lived here for 6 years, having lived around Sydney - South, Inner West, East, Lower North Shore - and I have to say Freshie is the pick of the lot.

Best beach in Sydney, pubs, great locals and all the vibe of the place.

Very close to everything in Manly, useful shops (hardware, groceries etc.) the nearby Westfield, close enough to City to commute or go out at night (25 mins home outside of rush hour).

It's a beautiful part of sydney -
On the northern beaches surrounded by beaches and vast bush land areas. It's a safe and friendly place to live in. With amazing hike tracks, snorkeling areas and scuba diving spots. It's a relaxed place and there are beautiful spots to look at - through freshwater and manly. We are away from the crazy pace of Cbd and live in a haven with great places to eat at and awalys wanting to look at the beautiful sea scapes.

I was a voluntary lifesaver at Freshwater Lifesaving club in my teens and twenties and then moved to Freshwater in my thirties. It's a friendly area, with an improving nightlife, restaurant and cafe scene. I miss the old fruit shop and IGA and hope one day soon there will be a local supermarket. The local school Harbord Public seems popular with lots of families in the area. The Playground in Jacka Park is a hit with my toddler niece and draws a congregation of Dad's and young kids on Saturday mornings, followed by the mum's who seem to come later. It's a little quiet here at times for me as I more prefer the Manly, Cremorne or Crows Nest vibe but I can see how a couple or young family could be very happy here. I love the small set of shops on Harbord Road and you can easily walk downhill through a short cut through Queenscliff to North Manly, Harris Farm and The Manly Aquatic Centre. It costs less than $10 to uber it home and plenty of people take on the double set of stairs to walk back! Overall, a beautiful part of the world with a gorgeous beach and ocean pool and a relaxed friendly vibe. Direct buses to Warringah Mall, South Curl Curl and Manly ever 30 mins and weekday buses to the City.

The laid-back beachside neighbourhood of Freshwater has been nurtured by a community which enjoys sunny days along its sandy shores. Its name is permanently etched into Australian surfing history.

The small village is a hub of local dining establishments and cafés. Staying true to their roots, locals gravitate to the beautiful stretch of rugged shoreline that encompasses Freshwater Beach and the headlands. Surfers and bodyboarders vie for the perfect wave, whilst the ocean pool at the northern end gives swimmers a reprieve from the crashing waves.

Sitting atop Freshwater’s northern headlands is McKillop Park, which offers incredible views up and down the coastline. From the carpark, locals can access the rocky path that meanders around to the ocean pool.

Extending from the beach is Freshwater Reserve, a green space for social gatherings beneath the trees. Across the road is a popular weekend haunt, the Harbord Beach Hotel, which retains a name that reflects the suburb’s tug-of-war over names. Originally known as Freshwater, the name was officially changed to Harbord in 1923 to align with the holiday image that some locals wanted to portray at the time. In 2008, the name was officially changed back to Freshwater.

Freshwater might have some identity crisis with decades old Harbord or Frewshwater battle,yet it is the best beach side suburb I've ever lived in Sydney. I've lived in Shire, Bondi and various places on Northern beaches. Freshwater has the best beach which never gets too crowded even in summer, area still has mostly houses and Harbord Village is a must visit for morning coffee. Unfortunately after the closure of IGA locals have to go to nearby Manly or Warringah mall for groceries but everything from Transport to parks are great here

I moved here from Melbourne a year ago and I'm not sure I would ever want to leave. It's a beautiful spot with a great surf beach... actually the birthplace of Australian surfing. I'ts probably even more beautiful at night on the beach with the lights of the apartments and homes lit up on the hills.

There are awesome views and look outs from up the hills and cliffs that enclose this suburb and it's right between Curl Curl and Manly beaches which are basically walking distance or a short bus ride away.

Transport here is fair to good although there is only direct buses to the city during weekdays. A bus to Manly and catching the ferry is definitely a great senic option. It's about a 30 or 35 min drive to get to the city.

Its a fairly quiet family orientated suburb and not overly diverse in ethnicities or cultures which I guess could be a negitive for some people. There are a number of good cafes, restaurants and bars but we are still waiting for a supermarket to open up which will hopefully be soon.

Its genrally a very exspensvie place to live with property and rent prices high but that sort of goes for allot of Sydney. The suburb seems to be safe, clean and quite friendly and overall living here in this location on the Northern Beaches for me is amazing.

I am soon to finish university and looking to move out of home. However I want to stay near my family who have lived in freshwater since I was born. However that option probably won't exist. Units are extremely expensive, purchasing a house for an adult pre-30s is near impossible and not worth the price unless you are in love with the beach. Local food and retail are curated towards the hipster, beach chic person, which results in high costs for living and supporting your local businesses becomes a lofty expense (its nice food although). Additionally if you are looking for a job that isn't in a trade or in sydney cbd, the commute there is very lengthy and costly (by car).

However, freshwater is a very safe suburb and **most** individuals you meet are fairly respectable and nice people. It is a very good place to bring up children as I have observed, many peers that I have grew up with have no major social problems. Harbord public school, when I attended was fairly nice, although the buildings have been improved immensely since I attended, and unregular issues with bullying (unless you are of minority race). After primary school there are a plethora of high schools that have a great reputation academically and socially. For children there are many sports they can participate that are local, the majority are rugby league, union, football. Public transport is usually reliable and can get you to most northern beaches suburbs fairly easily, and walking and biking are also very viable options for travel.

I used to live here for 11 months.
Couldn’t live for 12 months of rental contract because of bad and racist neighbours.
Nightmare to deal with, lots or weird people.
Walking to the beach was such a great thing but people are awful there. Some restaurants are great...though.
Would never go back.

Freshwater, formerly known as Harbord, is a suburb of the Northern Beaches in New South Wales. Freshwater is located 17 kilometres north-east of Sydney central business district. Warringah Council is Freshwater’s local council.

The size of Freshwater is approximately 2 km² . It has 5 parks covering nearly 9% of the total area – including Freshwater Reserve, McKillop Park, Harbord Park and Jacka Park.

There are 3 schools located in Freshwater – Harbord Public School, St John the Baptist and Freshwater Senior Campus.

Harbord Village is the thriving town centre of Freshwater with a number of cafes, restaurants, shops, supermarkets and thriving businesses. A vast variety of cuisines including Thai, Indian, Modern Australian and Italian would cater to everyone’s taste buds. With a post office, butcher, dry cleaner, hairdressing salons, florist, real estate, fitness club, financial services this town centre has all the mod cons to keep the local community happy.

Sitting on the headland Harbord Diggers Club is something of an institution in the district. You can enjoy the club’s many sporting facilities (including a gym and bowls), reasonably priced restaurant, bar and function rooms.

The Harbord Hilton is the friendly local pub with a quality restaurant, beer garden, live entertainment and a drive through bottle shop. Always the spot to go after a hard days work for a few quiet drinks and a bite to eat with your friends.

Freshwater Beach is a popular spot for beach and holiday goers with one of the Northern Beaches most popular swim beaches. Freshwater Reserve is located next to Freshwater Beach with BBQ/picnic areas to enjoy a day out with friends and family. A surf pool and a coastal walk are just some of the other attractions to Freshwater.

Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club has been open since December 1908, with a number of local volunteers who patrol on the weekends and public holidays from the end of September to Anzac Day in April each year. Having just celebrated 100 years of service to our community Freshwater SLSC continues to maintain a strong community spirit.

Harbord is a suburb of Sydney 17 kilometres north-east of the CBD in the local government area of the Warringah Council but still considered to be in the Northern beaches district of Sydney. Bounded on the north by Curl Curl, the east by the Pacific Ocean, the south by Manly, and to the west by North Manly. The population in 2006 was 7873 with 20% under 18 and 14% over 60.

Originally the suburb was Harbord Estate named after the wife of the then Governor of New South Wales. The name Freshwater applied to the beach and the hills behind. The owners of the tourist facilities decided that their businesses would be advantaged by the more holiday like name of Harbord.

This caused considerable debate and no small incidents of fisticuffs. When the local school was built in 1912, the Minister of Education was petitioned to name it Harbord. He refused and the name Freshwater Public School was applied.

The Post Office was the next attempt. The Postmaster General weakened and accepted the new name. Freshwater was officially renamed Harbord in 1923.

This was not the end. In 2003 the Warringah Council was petitioned by the Chamber of Commerce to rename the suburb Freshwater as the name sounded more touristy. When placed to a public vote 774 voted in for and 161 voted against the name change.

The name of Freshwater was applied officially on the 12th of January 2008.

Identity crisis aside, the suburb has a small but delightful beach beside what is effectively a dormitory suburb.