Resolute Beach is the one Pittwater beach that feels earned: a short arc of pale sand and clear green water tucked under West Head at the top of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, facing back towards Palm Beach. There’s no road to it — you arrive by boat, or by a steep bush track down from West Head Road — which keeps the crowds honest and the water clean. By boat it’s simple: anchor off the sand in the lee of West Head, swim in, and you’ve got one of Sydney’s genuinely wild beaches with Barrenjoey lighthouse framed across the channel. Here’s how to do it properly.
Boats for a swim-stop day
Pricing, photos and open dates across the fleet.
Where exactly is Resolute Beach, and how do you get there by boat?
It sits on the western side of the Pittwater entrance, tucked under the West Head headland where Pittwater meets Broken Bay, directly opposite the Palm Beach peninsula. Coming from anywhere on Pittwater, you simply run north along the western, national-park shore — past The Basin, Currawong and Great Mackerel Beach — and Resolute is the last pocket of sand before the headland turns the corner towards the Hawkesbury. From Palm Beach wharf it’s a ten-to-fifteen-minute hop straight across and up. The final approach is the scenic jackpot: West Head’s sandstone rising a couple of hundred metres to your left, Barrenjoey and its lighthouse across the water to your right, and Lion Island sitting out in Broken Bay ahead. Time it for morning light and it’s as good as the NSW coast gets.
Where do you anchor, and what’s the seabed like?
Anchor off the middle of the beach on sand in comfortable depth — the bottom shelves fairly steadily, and the sand holds well once the pick is set. Two cautions. First, this corner feels more of Broken Bay than the rest of Pittwater: swell refracting around West Head and wash from boats running the entrance can put a roll into the anchorage, so give yourself swinging room and don’t anchor so shallow that a set bounces you. Second, the nor’easter: Resolute is reasonably happy in a morning northerly but the summer afternoon sea breeze pushes chop straight at this shore — it’s a morning anchorage, and the regulars treat it that way. In a southerly, by contrast, it’s beautifully protected. There are no moorings and no facilities; this is anchor-swim-and-carry-out territory. Small boats can nose close and wade in; keep the boat outside any swimmers and idle-only near the sand.
What’s the beach itself like?
Small, steep-backed and pristine — maybe a hundred metres of sand with bush pressing in behind and rock platforms bracketing each end. The water is the clearest on Pittwater on most days: the beach faces the tidal flow of the entrance, so it flushes clean, and on a still morning you can watch your anchor set from the surface. Snorkelling along the southern rocks turns up the usual Pittwater cast and the occasional surprise. Behind the beach, a steep track climbs to the Red Hands Cave engraving site and on to West Head lookout — worth knowing if your group likes a leg-stretch, though in summer heat most people wisely stay wet. Pack shade if you’re landing: the sand cops full sun through the middle of the day and there’s nothing built to hide under. And it should go without saying, but this is national park — everything you carry in comes back aboard.
Can I get there on a hired boat?
Yes, if you hire on the right waterway — and this is where people get caught. Resolute is reached from Pittwater, so the small self-drive motorboats hired around Pittwater can do it easily in the morning window; it’s one of the classic local runs. What you cannot do is reach it on a Sydney Harbour hire boat: the harbour and Pittwater connect only via open ocean past Barrenjoey, which is outside every hire boat’s permitted waters, ours included. If you’re starting from the city and the logistics don’t work, the harbour has its own version of the experience — clean, quiet, effectively boat-only sand and bush anchorages in Middle Harbour and along the national-park shores — reachable from our base at The Spit on a self-drive hire from $400 with no licence needed, or aboard any of 180+ skippered charters (small BYO boats roughly $200–$400/hr, catered cruisers $500–$900/hr). Different postcode, same religion: anchor off sand, swim, ice box, repeat. See our boat picnic spots guide for the harbour’s equivalents.
When should you go?
Weekday mornings, October to April, are the sweet spot — warm water, light winds and a decent chance of sharing the anchorage with nobody. Summer weekends bring a raft-up crowd by late morning; arrive before ten or accept the company. Winter delivers the beach at its emptiest and the light at its sharpest, and on a still July morning with the whole anchorage to yourself it’s arguably better — just bring a thermos and nerve for the swim. Whatever the season, build the day around the wind: Resolute in the morning, sheltered water after lunch is the pattern that never fails.
Frequently asked questions
Can you walk to Resolute Beach?
Yes — a steep bush track descends from the West Head area, which is why “boat-only” isn’t strictly true. But arriving by water is far easier with kids, eskies or anyone allergic to a climb back out.
Is there a landing fee?
The beach is within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. There’s no gate on the sand, but park-use rules apply — check NSW National Parks for current requirements before your trip.
Is it safe to swim?
Generally yes in the morning calm — clear water over sand. It’s unpatrolled and near the tidal entrance, so keep swimmers close to the beach and watch for boat traffic beyond the shallows.
Can a Sydney Harbour hire boat reach Resolute?
No — it requires an open-ocean passage that hire boats aren’t permitted to make. Hire on Pittwater for Resolute, or do the equivalent harbour day from The Spit.
What’s nearby if the anchorage is rolly?
Great Mackerel Beach and The Basin are minutes south along the same shore, both more protected. Locals carry all three in mind and let the conditions pick.