Seven Beer Gardens Where You Can While Away a Sunny Day

Welcome to the biggest waterfront beer garden in the entire country. We’re talking so enormous that the Newport’s menu comes with a map. Famous for its Pittwater views, the epic space scored a serious landscape job when Merivale took the reigns in 2016. Prepare to spend your afternoon lounging under striped umbrellas, surrounded by giant cacti, jacarandas, date palms and Chinese elms. There’s a cornucopia of food outlets to choose from, including a raw bar peddling Sydney rock oysters and prawns, as well as a counter devoted to fish and chips.

Perched atop the clifftops, Icebergs gives you unparalleled panoramic views of Bondi Beach. To make the most of them while catching some rays, find yourself a spot on the Terrace. The menu — created by hatted chef Maurice Terzini — is refined yet accessible. Match your Heineken 3 with some oysters ($6 each) or salt and vinegar fries ($12).

If you were to get any closer to Bondi Beach, you’d be drinking on the sand. The brightly-coloured Bucket List is situated within the Bondi Pavilion, right next to the promenade. Grab a seat beneath the beach umbrellas and, since your plan is to while away the rest of the day, order a bucket of beers. The menu is organised according to environments: garden, ocean and land. For the peckish, there are haloumi fries ($15) or caramelised brussells sprouts ($15). And for the utterly famished, the chargrilled octopus and chorizo ($26) or buttermilk fried chicken ($22) should do the trick.

This art deco-style hotel — located across the road from Bondi Beach — just screams summer through splashes of flamingo pink, wicker and greenery. For optimal sunshine, head upstairs to the wraparound terrace which allows you to gaze over the ocean from a height. Chef Peter Streckfuss (The Lemon Tree, Catalina) oversees a Mediterranean-influenced menu. Among his creations are kangaroo skewers with horseradish aioli and harissa oil ($14), and mussels with orange, tomato, saffron, chilli and bread ($22).

If you’re keen for an afternoon beverage, but don’t want to stray too far from the city, make tracks to Cargo Bar. The roomy waterside beer garden, along with the rest of the venue, went through a makeover in late 2017. Now, the bar boasts a New York-inspired aesthetic, featuring concrete, glass and bursts of bright-blue paint. Outdoors transitions seamlessly into indoors so, wherever you are, the harbour feels close. The menu is big on classics — from pepperoni pizza ($20) and chicken parmis ($22) to burgers ($19) and Caesar salad ($19).

Another pub on the north side with oodles of al fresco space is Manly Wharf Hotel, just a few steps from the ferry terminal. The generous outdoor area — which stretches over the wharf itself — affords 180-degree views of Sydney Harbour. If you’re happy standing, grab a beer and pick a posi by the water. Otherwise, claim a pastel-green picnic table and relax in the ample shade provided by the umbrellas. The menu’s ideal for sharing, offering up buckets of prawns ($38), pizzas ($12–25) and beef nachos ($23). If the weather happens to turn, you can always enjoy the water views from inside the venue via expansive windows.

Should you happen to find yourself in one of Sydney’s swankiest suburbs, Double Bay, consider swinging by Mrs Sippy. This small bar operates as both a restaurant and cafe, and has an adorable outdoor courtyard. Even in the winter, it feels like summer — this is helped along by blue banquettes, breezy palm trees and a multicoloured mural. There’s also a balcony where you can watch the comings and goings of an adjacent laneway. Arm yourself with a beer and a plate of bourbon barbecue wings ($12) and prepare to go nowhere for hours.