Bundeena is one of those Sutherland Shire suburbs that you don’t just pass through.
I’ve lived in the Shire for more than ten years, and have only visited it twice.
If you have kids though it makes for a great day out, to a remote and pretty location, without the hassle of driving through the city or down the coast.
We got to Bundeena at lunchtime so started our time there with a meal at…
Bundeena Community Services Club
Bundeena CSC was badly fire-ravaged in 2015 and rebuilt in 2019. The building takes advantage of the beautiful view over the water so I recommend calling to make a reservation and asking for a table by the window if you can. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit (Jan 2021) the kids’ club was closed due to COVID.
The menu had so many scrumptious-sounding options, from steaks and salads to pizzas and schnitzels, that I couldn’t choose only one and ended up ordering the trio of tacos (battered, fish, pork belly bites and pulled beef) for $20 as well as the sweet potato fries with blue cheese aioli ($9), while my husband ordered the mussel hot pot with chilli tomato sauce ($26).
The club’s kids’ meals are $15 each and include a drink and an ice cream. The kids got a lemonade and an OJ and you may like to suggest to the bar staff that they not fill the cups right up as they are large and we had quite a few near spillages.
My son chose the calamari and chips and my daughter got the fish and chips but the other kids’ menu choices include bolognese pasta, chicken nuggets or cheeseburger and chips.
While we were waiting for our food (and the bistro was full so it did take a little while) one of the bar staff came and gave the kids an activity pack each, which really helped pass the time!
My food was delicious and super-filling. I couldn’t eat all three tacos and the salad it came with plus the chips I’d ordered but was able to take away what I hadn’t eaten. Hubby devoured the mussels and both the kids gave their dishes a pretty decent effort. As usual, I helped them out, purely for review purposes of course. The chips were exceptional and the calamari and fish both disappeared quite quickly.
The ice creams included in the meal were similar to mini-Magnums and the perfect way to end the meal before we headed to…
Bundeena beach
There are a couple of lovely beaches in Bundeena but the most popular and easily accessible is Bundeena beach. It’s right beside Horderns Beach where you can take your dog off its leash if you have one. It’s also just next to where the ferry docks if you happen to be getting the ferry from Cronulla, which can be a great option because parking is not always easy.
We’d driven, though, and managed to score a spot right in front of the Club so rather than attempt to move the car we threw our stuff in the kids’ pull-along wagon and walked down the hill to the beach.
There’s almost no shade on the beach so if you have a beach tent or umbrella I recommend you take it with you, or you can head around further west to Bonnie Vale Beach aka The Picnic Beach where it’s shadier and there are picnic benches and BBQ facilities.
In addition to the usual sandcastle-building, body-burying fun, there was much excitement as the kids spotted two crabs.
If the storm clouds hadn’t come over on our visit, we’d planned to go to…
Roger Summers Memorial Lions Park
Roger Summers Memorial Lions Park is directly opposite Bundeen’s main stretch of shops and set just behind Bundeena beach.
It features a huge climbing net, slides, swings, a round-about ride and plenty of space for playing tag, ball sports etc.
It’s mostly fenced in with toilets and BBQ facilities and a great spot to take fish and chips from Vinegar and Brown Paper or pizza from Bundeena Pizza for lunch or dinner if your kids aren’t of an age where they’re happy to sit down for a meal.
What else is there to do in Bundeena?
If this isn’t enough action for you and your family, you might want to check out the Bundeena Skate Park, take a walk along the coast or head to Bundeena Bowling Club for a family-friendly game of lawn bowls.
Looking for another day out in the Shire? Check out the rest of our “A Day Out in…” the Sutherland Shire series.
