Balmoral · by your own boat
The closest beach to our dock, and the easiest boat trip we do. Twenty minutes from The Spit, anchor off the sand, and you have the best part of Balmoral without hunting for a park.
Getting there
Balmoral sits in Hunters Bay, just outside the entrance to Middle Harbour — which makes it the first proper beach you reach after leaving The Spit. Twenty minutes, no open water to cross, and you are there.
That short run is what makes Balmoral the best first trip for anyone who has never driven a boat. There is nothing technical about it and you are never far from shelter, so you can spend the time enjoying it rather than concentrating.
It also means a three-hour hire is genuinely three hours at the beach rather than three hours of travelling. If you want to push on afterwards, Manly is another twenty minutes further around.
The boats
Both boats leave from The Spit in Mosman, which is the closest of our two bases to Balmoral. Fuel is included and a refundable $250 hold applies.
No licence needed — up to 6
Shade canopy with sides, a small cabin, lunch table and a swim ladder off the back — which is the bit that matters when you are anchored off a beach. Dogs welcome.
NSW licence needed — up to 8
More boat, more comfort and more range, for licence holders. Makes the run out and back feel like nothing at all.
Weekday rates shown — weekends, the 19 December – 26 January peak and public holidays are higher. We also keep two no-licence boats at Double Bay from October, on the eastern side of the harbour.
On the day
Balmoral is really two beaches. Edwards Beach at the northern end is the calmer, shallower one and the better bet with small children. The main Balmoral stretch runs south from Rocky Point Island — the little island joined to the shore by a footbridge — and is the busier, more social end.
Anchoring off the sand puts you a short swim from either. The Bathers’ Pavilion and the boatshed cafes are on the promenade if you want to go ashore for something, and Chinamans Beach around the corner in Shell Cove is the quiet option when Balmoral is full.
The water here is protected on most wind directions, which is why it is the spot we point people to when the forecast is unpromising elsewhere.
Good to know
Yes. The Day Boat needs no boat licence and no experience. Balmoral is about twenty minutes from our dock at The Spit, which makes it the easiest trip we do.
Around twenty minutes from The Spit in Mosman. It is the closest beach to our dock.
From $400 for three hours on the Day Boat for up to 6 people, or $550 for a day tripper, fuel included. The Sports Cruiser is $795 for a half day for licence holders.
Yes, and it is what most people do — anchor off the sand and swim in. We show you how to anchor properly at the briefing.
No. Both boats leave from The Spit in Mosman. Balmoral is where you go, not where you start.
It is one of the better options. Edwards Beach at the northern end is shallow and sheltered, and the run there is short enough that nobody gets restless.
Ready when you are