Sun-Oka Beach
My beautiful wife and I do not see eye-to-eye when it comes to surf beaches.
She got dumped on her head in Hawaii and has hated the waves ever since. I got dumped on my head at Coolum and have loved it ever since. Throughout our marriage, we’ve agreed to disagree and have tolerated visits to our non-preferred shorelines. One such consolation destination, though – British Columbia’s Sun-Oka Beach – may be the perfect compromise.
Before I write any further, let me be up front: there are no waves at Sun-Oka, unless you count wind-whipped whitecaps or the ripples from the odd speedboat. Now, I know what you’re thinking: What compromise? The beautiful wife has pwned you in the wave war and eaten all your potato scallops! Stevie Wonder could see who wears the Speedos in this relationship! Well, in my defence, I contend this little sand-strip skirting BC’s famous Okanagan Lake doesn’t need rolling barrels to provide plenty of bang for your beach buck.
For starters, there is no shortage of aquatic action to take on. From water-skiing to sea-dooing (what Canadians call jet-skiing) to stand-up kayaking, many a wet n’ wild adventure can be indulged. For the more sedate visitor, a selection of for-hire pedal-boats and trikes provide some leisurely fun in the summer sun. Of all the accessible activities, my personal favourite was the giant floating trampoline. Whoever came up with this idea is part genius, part sadist. My Coolum dumping looked like a spa treatment next to some of the wipeouts I witnessed on this instrument of mayhem.
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If you’ve got littlies, or just fancy a lazy loll in the shallows, the generous swimming area is protected by marker buoys. On shore, there is a volleyball net, a children’s playground and a gaggle of picnic tables. Sun-Oka is also well-served with a concession stand on the beach itself – there you can buy a burger or an ice-cream or a bandage for the head gash you sustained on the giant trampoline. Change-rooms, showers and taps round out the convenience.
It all sounds pleasant, I hear you say. But, really, how can it compare to any stretch of sand on Australia’s breathtaking coastlines? That’s fair comment – not much in this world can be stacked up against a Manly or a Whitehaven or a Cable. But what beach in Oz would find you surrounded by towering cliffs of clay? Or five minutes from orchards where you can pick cherries, apples, peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums and pears? Or a hop, skip and jump from some of the best wineries in North America?
In the end, Sun-Oka is a gem in its own right. And as for the lack of surf? Well, maybe that concussion I sustained at Coolum is finally starting to wear off.
Sun-Oka Beach is located six kilometres south of Summerland in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Check it out on Facebook here.
Darren Groth is a prominent Australian author, speaker and mentor now living in Canada. You can read more about Darren at www.darrengroth.com
Where is your favourite beach? What is it about it that you love?
Comments
85 Comments so far
Esperance WA. There is a lovely cove there that has the whitest sand and the clearest yet bluest water and it is so peaceful
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For some of the best private beaches in the world, you don’t need to travel far.. to the Coromandel Peninsula in NZ.
http://www.tweedteaandwellies.com/tooth-fairy-the-untold-story/
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Not. A. Beach. Fan. At. All.
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The more I travel, the more I decide that Australian beaches are the most beautiful and untouched in the world.
My vote goes to Byron Bay.
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My fav is Aspendale beach in Victoria. It is pristine and rivals anything up north. The Mornington Peninsula beaches are also gorgeous and shallow for ages, not to mention as clear as glass. We found a starfish when we were there over summer. We’ve been to Fiji, Thailand and Bali but Australian beaches are truly the best.
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We love Collaroy (or Narrabeen, or Dee Why) in Sydney for a Saturday morning adventure – love the surf and pool combo. For a quick weekend, it is Copacabana – near Avoca on the Central Coast but the beach in my heart is Culburra on the South Coast – unfortunately now that we are a slave to the school term it is hard to get there in Feb which is when the water is warmest.
Love, love, love a beach holiday any time of year so we have been to a few!! We were down in Bermagui recently and are now looking forward to going for a bit longer next time – so many beaches and rivers to check out down there, magical part of the world – you can still collect your own mussels for dinner! love it!
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I love Bermagui too – my family has a holiday house down there, so I spent most of every summer there growing up, and now it’s us and the grandkids as well. Good times!
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My favorite it Norman bay at Wilson’s promontory.
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Phillip Island (southern Victoria).
Although the beaches aren’t the most “beautiful” I’ve seen, they are amazingly diverse (world class surf beaches to south and perfect wading beaches to west) and incredibly uncrowded even on the busiest of long weekends.
Mostly though, because it is my HOME, and my children benefit from the daily dose of Pure Oxygen…
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Here I was just feeling good about the fact that the sun was out and it’s a balmy 11 degrees. STOP TALKING ABOUT BEACHES.
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Meelup Beach at Dunsborough in WA’s south-west is gorgeous. It’s a sheltered bay, lots of grass and picnic spots, it gets the shade from the cape late in the afternoon, and there’s no stingers, unlike other beaches on Geographe Bay.
You don’t have to go very far out before it gets deep so it’s suitable for boats but safe for swimmers too. It doesn’t get rough and rhe only waves you get are from the boats or when the tide changes. The only negative is the lack of parking!
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Palm Cove in FNQ. Amazing…. Food a bit exxy in the area though…
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Bilinga Beach on the Gold Coast, it’s the best because we live around the corner and can walk there, it’s very quiet unless it’s holiday time, we feel like it’s our own little piece of paradise.
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It loks gorgeous, just what I would imagine those North American Lake/Beaches to be like. Great article.
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We lived in Broome for a year in 2010 (God, my friends are sick of me starting every second sentence with that phrase) and while Cable Beach is bloody awesome, 2 hours north there are the most divine beaches ever in the world… Lombadina, Middle Lagoon and Cape Leveque. Actualy, that said, having driven from Perth to Broome every single WA beach I have seen is awesome. Turquoise Bay, Elle’s beach (b/c a WA toursim commercial featuring Elle Macpherson was shot there) and Osprey bay at Ninglaoo, Eighty Mile, Barn Hill….
Darren, we also lived in Montreal for 2 years. When my friends there took us to a “beach” I thought they were kidding. They raved about it, but it was black sand on the edge of a turgid river shared with one milliion other Quebecois. I should remember the name but I have pushed it from my mind! You have restored my faith in Canadian beaches
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HAHAHA, Kylie…That Montreal beach sounds like a real shocker. There’s a couple of crap ones in Vancouver, too. I tell the locals “You don’t have real beaches, we don’t have real mountains”
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Ha! That’s a fair trade, I guess. We don’t really have the climate for mountains, they do. Vice versa for beaches.
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When I was in Broome, I really wanted to do a tour up to Cape Leveque, but they only ran on weird days.
Cable Beach is pretty amazing though!
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My fourth (hopefully) novel is set at Lombadina and Cape Leveque. I’m heading up in June to do some *cough* research
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Oh, Cape Leveque is beautiful! The whole Dampier Peninsula is one of my favourite memories of travelling around Australia in 2009.
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My favourite beach to visit is actually the “kids beach” at Brunswick Heads. I’m not sure of it’s name but all the locals know it and it’s a small child-friendly beach (with no surf!) which little kids love. I love taking Ava there!
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I know the beach and regularly used to stop there to have my lunch break (gelati does count as lunch doesn’t it?). There are some real gems of beaches here in Northern NSW. I live at Kingscliff and have Dreamtime beach on my door step. It’s just beautiful walking up toward Fingal Head in the afternoon when the sun is setting and that beautiful pink glow tinges the horizon.
Next favourite beaches would have to be up in Darwin for the most amazing sunsets I have ever seen, Wineglass Bay in Tassie for white white sand, Cape Tribulation for where the rainforest meets the sea and Wreck Beach on the Great Ocean Road for rugged beauty (and really cool shipwreck anchors).
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We are coming to Peppers at Kingscliff for our honeymoon in a couple of weeks. Have never been up that way and absolutely cannot wait to check out the area! Any recommendations would be great!
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Am happy to give some tips. Here a few things I do regularly in this area (within ½ hour of Peppers at Kingsliff).
Fingal Head: Dreamtime beach runs between Kingscliff and Fingal. The beach on the Kingscliff side of the Headland is very pretty. Certain times of the year you can sit on the headland and watch the whales go past. There is a local pod of dolphins here and sometimes you will also see sea turtles. Nice sitting here in the afternoon as sun is setting. Sheoak shack café/gallery at Fingal for laid back food/wine/beers/coffee and live music Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon.
Hire a bike and ride from Peppers down to Cabarita. Nice beaches and good food/beer/wine and live music at Martys at Cabba.
Drive out to Murwillumbah along the Tweed River to visit the Tweed River Regional Art Gallery at Murwillumbah. It always has interesting collections on show as well as an amazing view of Mount Warning and the Tweed River. You can eat at the café here which has a great view or go into the main part of town to one of many good cafes. I like New Leaf and Luffey, but all are quite good I am told. On the way back take a quick detour off the tweed valley way to Tumbulgum and check out some of the small gallerys and the pub (has a lovely view of the river and mountains).
Bryon Bay: Lunch at Dip Café followed by a walk around Cape Byron Headland, starting at Captain Cook Lookout(3.7 km loop). Cross the road and walk up the ridge that runs along Tallows Beach, up to the lighthouse and then down past Wategoes Beach and The Pass. Hit the Rails, Beach Hotel or Great Northern pubs for a refreshing drink and night time music.
Brunswick Heads: Most places here are good for food, but the pub is great for atmosphere and live music on a Sunday afternoon. The “kids” beach just before the mouth of the Brunswick River is great place to take a dip and sit with some gelati (gelati place is over near the health food shop, up past the school).
Hope some of this helps!
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Very helpful, thank you so much!! Will definately be checking all this out. Cannot wait to get up there.
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For the record, my fave beaches are Coolum and Whitehaven in the Whitsundays
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Well said Mr Groth! Nothing will ever top a beach for me over Whitehaven. Particularly after an angel had weaved a wand over our visit and we arrived by private helicopter
Those were the days……
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I arrived at Whitehaven in a leaky boat provided by the Devil
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Insert music……Those were the days my friend…..
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I live at Coolum Beach Qld and you cannot go past it, 365 days a year!
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I love that part of British Columbia. I spent a great couple of weeks around the Kewlona/Lake Okanagan area. Really beautiful part of the world. If your travels take you BC/Vancouver it is worth a visit up to this area. Lovely to have some good memories brought back.
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Cheers, Sunday. Did you get to Lake Kalamalka near Vernon? Unbelievable colours…
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Didn’t make it to there, but I might have gone passed it? So much driving around, so many lakes, it’s a blur! Wonderful place.
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Kalamalka was a turquoise unlike anything I’ve ever seen…Amazing…
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Gannet beach on NSW South Coast. It’s at Bawley Point and it is glorious. Clear green water, fish and rays to watch, sometimes a visiting whale and calf http://www.bawleycoast.com.au
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So fkg over the negative comments. I barely post or read MM because of it and I have been a longterm MM reader and contributer. It even got me down getting harassed by the same group of people always the same names. Just completely sick of it and checking out the last few articles and seeing the same bitchy, negative comments where God forbid MM try something or someone different or one word or line out of a whole bloody article is ripped to shreds or taken waaaay out of context. Its so disheartening
and it’s usually the same names or my fave
‘anonymous’. It puts me right off contributing or even reading through MM.
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One of my fave beaches is murrays beach (or otherwise known as ‘crystal beach’ by the locals) on the nsw south coast near Jarvis bay. Spent many amazing years going there and felt like I was on a tropical island.
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Lighthouse Beach Port Macquarie. 20 years of family holidays there means it’s my favourite beach in the world. It wouldn’t seem like Summer to me without a trip to Lighthouse Beach and now my kids feel the same.
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I spent my teenage years living at Lighthouse Beach, just a few streets back from the beach. Of course I didn’t really appreciate it then but what I would give to live there now! Every time we’re there we drive up to the lighthouse and breathe in the view.
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The beach that will keep EVERYONE happy is The Pass at Byron Bay. It has waves for the surfers in your family, a large rocky outcrop creates a sheltered inlet for those who want flat water and you walk 20 paces back into the bush to find a cafe with cappuccino and lattes for all tastes. All agendas were ticked in my family with this beach!
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Wow lots of grumpy people posting today.
I enjoyed the article thanks as I am interested in hearing about places in the world both near and far and I also feel this is a chance to spill a few secrets about some of the totally incredible and amazing beaches in my part of Australia.
Port Stephens is a gorgeous water wonderland just over two hours drive north of Sydney. Surprisingly it’s huge body of water is bigger than Sydney harbour. There are lots of beautiful bays and beaches. My favourite is Shoal Bay. The water is crystal clear and best of all there are no waves so it is perfect for families to enjoy.
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I’m a Northern Beaches girl born and bred.
I love Manly for the proximity to the Royal Copenhagen ice cream shop (and more recently Ben & Jerry’s) I love Dee Why for the great beach pool for the kids, Curl Curl because you can always find a peaceful spot that isn’t overrun by people, Mona Vale for the weekends doing Nippers with my daughter, Warriewood because nobody but locals ever bother to navigate their way down there, Clareville for memories of mother’s group morning teas when our kids were babies, North Avalon for the great rock pools, Whale Beach if you want to pretend you are rich and famous, and Palm Beach for the unbelievable proximity between the beautiful surf beach and the protected shallows of Pittwater. Oh, and the cool lighthouse and dunes.
And can we please have a moratorium on posts bitching about the content of articles? There are more than enough stories on here to interest everyone, but it’s inevitable that everyone will relate to some topics more than others. Deal with it and just read something else rather than whingeing about it.
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Disagree about the insular peninsula, totally agree about the moratorium!
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LMAO Kris – I don’t even pretend to not be insular peninsula any more!
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You know I’m at uni in Wollongong – we’ve had the obligatory intro sessions in tutorials, and it was “My name’s Kris, I am from Sydney but live in Wollongong now”, “My name’s Josh, I’m from Gerringong”, then “My name’s Ashley, I’m from the Shire, My name’s James, I’m from the Shire”. No suburbs in the Shire, and the peninsula is the same! LOL All get referred to as God’s Country by zealots.
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Yeah, but the difference is, Kris, that the Peninsula really IS God’s Country! ; )
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Hahahaha! And you’re a Sea Eagles fan, too, I suppose?
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Ummm…It’s in their travel section? You would see very similar articles to this in every newspaper travel section in the country.
Sheesh! Bit closed minded, are we?
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what Shan said
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Where does it say travel section, it just looks like any other article.
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Sections are colour-coded to match the category (red = travel) and if you check the travel section, that’s where this post falls. Every now and then we’ll feature a travel yarn on the ‘main’ page, so to speak. It’s just one of a whole stack of different posts we offer on the site.
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I thought it was a great read. And I have to admit to being a fan of Darren Groth’s writing. So it was seeing him as the author that made me read it but I throughly enjoyed the content . Oh to travel. In my dreams……
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Speaking of sponsorship…How much do I owe you, Michelle
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I live 10 miles from this beach and I can’t wait to get back to the beaches in Qld. Missed this year but coming back next year for sure
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I agree this is a bit random. I usually love the articles on this site, they keep me coming back with things that I can relate to, that make me think, or laugh or cry… but this just doesn’t seem to gel with the rest of your content. It’s a bit like a (well written) “what I did in my summer holidays” essay task from primary school.
But hey, it’s your site, you can put whatever you want
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Thx, Arch…It IS what I did on my (painfully too short Canadian) summer holidays
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I like our local beaches down here. We have an ocean pool that takes about 15 minutes to walk to that has awesome rock pools all around it, and a lagoon running to the beach as well. It’s perfect for kids to play in the pool, explore the rock pools, play in the lagoon… It’s great! It’s between Woonona and Bulli Beaches. The only bummer is the flags are right up the other end of the beach, normally, near the surf clubs. No matter though, the pool and rock pools make up for it. KDot loves the rock pools and lagoon and little creek for crawling and sitting to have a splash and paddle, and comes in the pool with me!
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Love articles about great things in other parts of the world. For those complaining it’s not about Australia, open your eyes people! This is not the US
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I agree, I love hearing about people talk about great places they have visited. Whenever I plan a holiday I always ask people I know if they have been there and if they have any places, eateries, wineries etc that they would recommend.
As for the negativity on here, it’s Sunday, lighten up people!
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There’s an amazing beach that I went to a few years ago in Cirali, Turkey. It’s surrounded by tall cliffs, and a short walk away there’s some beautiful ancient ruins covered in overgrown plants. Do an image search on google for Cirali ruins, and you will see what I mean. Everything about that place was amazing.
In Sydney I love Neilson Park (Shark Bay) and Dee Why. It’s impossible to visit either and not leave feeling happier and revived.
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Wategos Beach Byron Bay, went for a swim and surf there this morning. It has the clearest, blue water I have ever seen outside the GBR and the most perfect rolling waves. Perfection….if u can get a park. I love living on the north coast, spoiled for choice in beaches.
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And Torikina at Brunswick Heads, just 15 mins north
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Oh Jude – you’ve just made me sooooo envious! Can’t wait for another holiday in Byron (although I am having a holiday in Spain next month so can’t complain…)
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Wenderholm, Auckland – great family beach and huge grassed areas for BBQs…spent many a weekend there with my family when I was little.
Local Island, Port Moresby – lived in PNG when I was young and this was a stunning spot to visit…lots of other beautiful beaches there but can’t remember their names. Fond memories of snorkelling with family and friends and seeing clownfish galore. Such a shame it’s not safe to go back for a holiday…
Wine Glass Bay, Tassie – spent a magical 10 days in Tasmania some years back, every day was 25 or warmer. The day we hiked to Wine Glass Bay was a perfectly sunny summer’s day, and we were the only ones swimming…bliss…
Dreamland Beach, Bali – incredibly clear water, perfect temperature…very relaxing…
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The beaches in southern Tasmanian are perfect for littlies, clean water, beautiful surrounds & no waves.
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If you’re looking for surf, wineries, orchids and somewhere a little closer to home, try the back beaches on the Mornington Peninsular coast in Victoria, Australia.
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I love the mornington peninsula. I went there growing up every year and may yet retire there.
However, I do love the beaches at the sunshine coast.
At the south end of the mornington peninsula and bribie island you can get to a surf beach and bay beach with a short drive. Perfect compromise.
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Aah Faybian, I’m right here now- posting from Sorrento back beach, actually (long weekend in Vic)
Agree- this part of the world is very special.
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Not fair!
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Is this a sponsored post?
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Hi Anonymous
No, this is definitely NOT a sponsored post! Just a piece for our travel pages on Darren’s favourite beach. The trip was paid in full by Darren. (If a trip is ever an industry ‘famil’ .. the article will always say at the bottom that the writer was “the guest of XXXXX” so you know.)
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Sponsored??? I wish
Just a family excursion in the Canadian summer.
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For the millionth time….WHY would it matter if the post was sponsored? Do you just need something to complain about? How about you start complaining about the fact that I think you’re a massive whinger?
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Um, I was just asking. I don’t mind sponsored posts, I read them all. I didn’t realise Mamamia had a travel section and was wondering how this fit into the site. I wasnt asking as a way to complain at all.
Your response to my question was really aggressive and uncalled for.
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Thank you so much for this Darren. Spent a fantastic couple of days with special Canadian friends at Lake Okanagan in 1983. Been about 12 years since we caught up in person, so great to read this. Have to ask though, wasn’t this the lake that had the Canadian equivalent of Loch Ness Monster??? That would certainly up the fear factor minus the surf. My favourite beach??? Woodgate Beach near Childers Qld, but don’t tell everyone because most of it’s charm is it’s likeness to Qld beaches of the past….a good pub, couple of general stores, great fish and chips, caravan park and national park. Throw in mod con of couple of great coffee stops and you’ve got it all. Oh drats, I’ve said too much….stay away developers.
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I have friends who go there devotedly every summer for the same reason. Next summer I may take a trip up there.
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Marce, yes the ‘Ogopogo’ monster lives in Lake Okanagan…I was hoping to see him driving a speedboat, but alas…
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Relevance? Advert on a canadian beach on Aussie blog?
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Agree! Very random why is this article here?
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It could be a sponsored post, yes, but doesn’t MM feature content from and for people all over the globe?
And let’s not forget that this is in the Travel section.
And written by an Australian.
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Not an advert! Or a sponsored post! Just a piece for our travel pages!
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Huh???? How insular are you lot! I find it interesting to read of other places, of different things that are not in Australia. Would you be saying the same if it were an article on a castle in Provence or a part of Disneyland?
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Because sometimes it’s great to open your mind and find out about other beautiful places that exist in the world!
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What Fiona and Kirsten and Lizi said
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So we should only read about Oz-centric stuff? Expand your horizons, people!
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