Brighton Beach
Check out one of South Australia’s best urban beaches with crazy surf sessions and quirky art. Follow it up with a movie or sunset drinks at the “Espy”.
Brighton Beach is a large, sandy beach with pretty deep water, making it great for ocean swimming and other summer activities. While usually quieter than Glenelg Beach to the north, there is always something to see and do around Brighton Beach’s old jetty. So, grab your togs and check it out.
First, walk along the paved Esplanade and spot the sculptures by the seaside, which make for fun pictures. Next, walk over the beach to the Arch of Remembrance, the war memorial that forms the gateway to the Brighton Jetty. Stroll to the end to chat to the fishing locals and soak up those timeless Holdfast Bay views.
On windy days, watch experienced surfers take on the highly erratic surf breaks that Brighton Beach is famous for. If you do go swimming, take care in summer, as a sandbar produces rolling waves that can catch you unawares.
Get training for South Australia’s largest ocean swim, which takes place around the jetty on the first Sunday of February as part of the Brighton Jetty Classic event on the beach and Esplanade. The day-long festival also has a Surf Boat Carnival and the Brighton Jetty Classic Sculptures festival. Cheer on the locals, admire the artworks and watch the fashion parade, or just swing and sing to the tunes of local DJs and bands.
Just like Glenelg, Brighton Beach has a Jetty Road, running perpendicular to the Esplanade. Go here to grab fish ’n' chips or splurge a little in the cool little cafés and restaurants. At sunset, live it up at the “Espy”, the always popular Esplanade Hotel.
Before leaving Brighton, check out what’s on at the local Windsor Theatre. This art deco cinema may be nearly a century old, but it is still going strong.
Brighton Beach sits between Seacliff and Glenelg Beach. The beach is about half an hour by car from central Adelaide. Find a range of free and paid car parking along the nearby streets in the suburb of Brighton in the City of Holdfast Bay. South Brighton has its own train station. The Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club patrols the beach during weekends and public holidays in summer.