The two Patonga beaches are located along a 7 km long section of south-facing steep rocky shore between Middle Head and Juno Point. The main Patonga Beach (BB 1) occupies part of the 1 km wide mouth of Patonga Creek at Brisk Bay. It forms a curving south to southeast-facing beach backed by a low 200-400 m wide sandy barrier then the creek and mangroves of Woody Glen Swamp (Fig. 4.183). The settlement consists of two streets of houses surrounded by the creek, inlet and beach and low dune. In addition there is a fronting foreshore reserve, tennis courts and a camping area at the western end; and a store, jetty, park, oval and boat ramp at the eastern end. It can only be reached via a winding road that climbs for 4 km over the hills from Pearl Beach, itself a winding climb from Ocean Beach. As a consequence Patonga is a relatively isolated settlement and beach, yet located only 35 km from the centre of Sydney. It is also serviced by ferry from Palm Beach. The beach is 1.4 km long and looks out across Broken Bay, receiving only low swell and local wind waves at the shore. These maintain a relatively steep, narrow high tide beach, fronted by deeper water in the centre. Tidal sand shoals front a smaller creek that crosses the eastern end of the beach; and there are larger shoals at the western entrance to Patonga Creek. Only during very large outside swell do ocean waves reach the beach. read more