Things to do in Cromer

What’s in a name, you ask. When you have a moniker like ‘Northern Beaches’, people have very particular expectations – things like surf, sand and glorious headland vistas. But not all suburbs that comprise the Northern Beaches boast a waterside locale, so they work hard on the other stuff.

Cromer is one such place

While its name traces its origins to a seaside town in England, Cromer actually sits inland from the more well-known beachside ‘burbs of Dee Why and Collaroy.

It does, however, dip its feet into the south-westerly tip of Narrabeen Lagoon, setting the tone for this suburb’s personality as a sporty, outdoorsy type who works hard and loves its family.

Enjoy the beautiful game

Sport definitely dominates in Cromer, with Cromer Park Complex a world-class synthetic football pitch boasting a 900-seat grandstand. This state-of-the art facility is home to the National Premier Leagues NSW club Manly United and an occasional training ground for Sydney FC A-League Womens.

For those who love to lace on the boots but are no Ronaldo or Sam Kerr, in summer Cromer Park becomes a chequerboard of small-sided soccer fields for a popular local six-a-side competition.

Hit the golf course

If you’d prefer to hit the ball with a long stick (pardon my non-golfer blasphemy), private championship course Cromer Golf Club revels in its beautiful setting adjacent to Narrabeen Lagoon and Garigal National Park, boasting beautiful native flora, an abundance of bird life and lake-side breezes.

Head indoors for the latest golfing experience

When the weather puts paid to this sporting idyll or you want to brush up on your skills with the latest tech,

Precision Golf is an indoor centre offering a driving range, golf simulators and short game practice facilities using the latest laser projection system.

For the kids and kids at heart, Precision also has a fabulous 18-hole mini golf course inspired by the Northern Beaches’ coastline, with each hole named after one of our beautiful beaches.

Drop in at the skate park

For some heart-pumping actions, St Matthews Farm Skate Park brings street style to Cromer. Designed in consultation with local skateboarders, it features elements like stairs, hubbas, euro gaps and a spine ramp. Stoked!

Learn to swim

Keeping with the sporting theme, parents of young children will be pleased to hear that one of Sydney’s leading swim schools, Carlile Swimming, is located in Cromer.

Swing into the gymnastics centre

Manly Warringah Gymnastics Club located in Cromer is a renowned leader in gymnastics, with 10 athletes currently training at world level and plans to build a new $10.3 million centre of excellence scheduled to open next year.

Bounce on the beaches

With Bounce trampoline parks springing up (get it?) all over Australia and the world, sporty Cromer grabbed the opportunity to feature on the ‘Locations’ list, and is due to open one of these much-loved adrenaline centres of its own.

Take to the trail

With an abundance of playgrounds and proximity to walking trails such as the lovely 8.6km multi-use Narrabeen Lagoon Trail, Cromer caters so well to its large number of families as well as visitors seeking a range of nature experiences.

For the more adventurous, there are also more challenging hiking, biking and enduro motorcycle trails to fill endless weekends.

Cromer certainly works hard on the play hard, proving you don’t need surf and sand to make an exciting, adrenaline-filled ‘Beaches’ suburb.