The Original Local Home and Away & Summer Bay Film Set Tour Operators - Departs Sydney CBD

This tour is such a fabulous experience for all the fans of the hit TV show Home and Away. It is exciting to see the location of Summer Bay located at Palm Beach and all the familiar places that are in the show.  If you are lucky, you will see the show being filmed and perhaps see your favourite character (not guaranteed).  

The tour is also suitable for people who are not fans as it takes you along the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney.  

Where is Summer Bay?

The Summer Bay outdoor filming location is actually Palm Beach, in Sydney's Northern Beaches, only 41 kilometres north of Sydney's CBD. This gorgeous stretch of golden sands and clear blue ocean is situated on a peninsula between Pittwater and Broken Bay, allowing for spectacular views of the headlands and lush green hinterlands surrounding it.

We showcase the whole of the Northern Beaches. Even if you are not a fan of Home and Away, the Northern Beaches of Sydney are some of the best beaches in the world to visit.

You will visit: 

• North Head,The Gunnery, Quarantine station entrance

North Head is an Australian National Heritage listed headland which includes the North Head Quarantine Station and has been symbolically regarded by ships arriving in Australia since 1788 as the entrance to Port Jackson, New South Wales

This place holds significance to the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, the Gayamagal people.

One of the most historic features of the quarantine station is the series of engravings along the escarpment adjacent to the jetty. The carvings were executed by people staying at the quarantine station, and cover an extensive period that stretched from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.

• Manly Beach

Manly is most notable for its beaches which are popular tourist destinations. Manly features a long stretch of sand on the ocean side, that runs from Queenscliff through North Steyne to South Steyne . This is followed by rock pools and sandy beaches called Fairy Bower and Shelly Beach. There are also a number of beaches on the harbour side of the peninsula. Norfolk Island pine trees are symbolic of Manly and are a prominent feature of both the ocean and harbour beaches.

• Freshwater

Australian home of surfing
In December 1914, Duke Kahanamoku, the world sprint swimming champion, was touring Australia. He selected timber from a Sydney firm to fashion a board modelled on those used in his native Hawaii, and during a demonstration to the press, introduced surf board riding to Australia at Freshwater Beach[4] on Thursday 24 December. It was the first recorded time that anyone had surfed the clean waves beyond the break in Australian waters using this Hawaiian-style surfing technique.

• Curl Curl

The name Curl Curl appears to be the original Aboriginal name for the larger area of Manly Vale, Freshwater, Queenscliff. The name Curl Curl may have been derived from a Dharuk Aboriginal phrase curial curial, meaning river of life.

• Dee Why

Another significant natural area within Dee Why is the Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden, established in 1957 on the site of an old quarry and located just south of the Dee Why town centre. The garden, which contains plants from all over Australia as well as those indigenous to the area, has four main sections, the rainforest gully, the sandstone heath on the site of the quarry, the Federation Cascades built in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of the federation of Australia, and the primitive plant section, with examples of plant species that have survived for millions of years.

• Narrabeen Lagoon

There are a number of theories on the origin of the name "Narrabeen". The most fanciful is that Narrabeen is named after "narrow beans" which the English in the first year of settlement (1788) found and ate from a vine growing over beach sand in Narrabeen lagoon and catchment. Narrabeen lagoon is fed by Deep Creek, Middle Creek, Mullet Creek, Narrabeen Creek and Nareen Creek, and occupies about 2.2 square kilometres, and has a catchment of about 55 square kilometres.

• Warriewood 

Warriewood takes its name from the Warriewood Estate that was subdivided in 1906 by Henry F. Halloran, who had purchased it from the McPherson family.

• Whale Beach

At the northern end of the beach, just off the rocks, is a well-known surf break called the Wedge. Immediately west of the beach is the Whale Beach Surf Life Saving Club. Whale Beach is the location of a distinctive home designed by the architect Alexander Stewart Jolly. On Careel Head, overlooking Whale Beach, Careel House is a single-storey bungalow made from sandstone blocks that were quarried at the site. Heritage-listed, it was built in 1931. Whale Beach is home to The Big Swim, an ocean swim of several kilometres from Palm Beach to Whale Beach. The Big Swim has been held in January each year since 1974.

• Palm Beach

Palm Beach is sometimes colloquially referred to as 'Palmy' and is used for exterior filming of the soap opera Home and Away, as the fictional town of Summer Bay. It is also the subject of the newly-announced 2018 film 'Palm Beach'. Palm Beach housing ranges from cottages to grand estates, owned by some of the country's most affluent people. Many affluent and famous people can also be found holidaying at Palm Beach in summer.

• Summer Bay Surf Lifesaving Club
• The Pier Diner
• Alf's Bait shop
• Salt Restaurant

Please note: We do not guarantee you will see filming.

Your fun-filled day consists of:

• On-site film locations (outdoor filming locations only, Palm Beach. (No Studio).

• Breathtaking views of the Bush, Bay & The Northern Beaches

Travel with small groups of up to 10 people in our comfortable, modern vehicles. Your guide for the day is a local with local knowledge. We breathe everything Australia.

Return Trip:

You return back to Sydney via the Manly Ferry to Circular Quay. Please note ferry tickets currently cost $7.60 and are not included in the tour price. We drop you at Manly Wharf where you can choose to have a look around the famous Manly Corso, walk on Manly Beach, do a spot of shopping, or simply catch the ferry back to Circular Quay and enjoy panoramic views of the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Please note: We do not guarantee you will see filming

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How far should I book in advance?

We recommend you book as far in advance as possible. Our tours can fill up quickly. If availability permits you can book right up until 24 hours prior to departure.

2. What time do the tours depart?

Pick time is 9am at McDonalds on Alfred Street in Circular Quay. The tour vehicle will arrive between 9am and 9.10am. You must call/text us 24hrs before your tour to reconfirm these details. Contact information is provided in your booking documentation.

3. What time do we get back to the city?

We have you back to the Manly Ferry between 2.30pm and 3.00pm. The ferry ride is a short 30 minutes across Sydney Harbour to Circular Quay. The approximate duration of the day is 6 hours.

4. Can I meet the tour at Palm Beach?

All guests booked on the tour must meet at the designated pick-up location in the city, as we start sighting seeing just 20 minutes out of the city.

5. Is Summer Bay a real place?

Summer bay is the shows' fictional name for Palm Beach, one of the most affluent suburbs in Sydney.

6. What happens when they are filming? When do you find out when they are filming?

You may be lucky to see filming, however, we can never guarantee you will see filming. As Palm Beach is a public place you are allowed close access, within reason and as long as you don't get in the way of filming. If time permits in the filming schedule, most actors are happy to sign autographs and have pictures taken.

Filming schedules at Palm Beach are only known on the day or possibly the day before. We are not in control of filming schedules, as we are in no way associated with the Channel 7 Network.

7. Are the studios open to the public?

No, the studios are not open to the public. We can only take you to the exterior filming locations in Palm Beach.

8. Do we get to meet any actors?

We do not guarantee you will get to meet any actors. If they happen to be filming on the day and have time in their schedule we have found most actors are happy to have photo's taken with our guests.