Incorporating a lovely beach, a first-rate playground, a cricket pitch, soccer fields, and a protected nature reserve, Shelly Bay Beach and Nature Reserve invites hours of recreation. It is a favorite spot for family get-togethers and children’s parties on weekends throughout the spring and summer months.

The soft white sand and gentle slope of the beach makes it a perfect spot for small children or swimmers who lack confidence. Although the busy North Shore Road is all too near, the beach’s beauty on a summer morning is enough to tune out any traffic noise. Due to its easy access, the beach is also a magnet for windsurfers when the breeze swings around to the northwest. A concession station, Yardie Kitchen, serves the park, beach, and playground area offering wraps, curries, mac ’n’cheese, burgers, and fries. Picnic tables are situated on the grassy lawns bordering the beach to the east.

Access to and through Shelly Bay Beach and Nature Reserve is easy and scenic, thanks to a boardwalk linking the old Railway Trail’s Hamilton Parish start outside the Railway Museum with the beach, a half-mile away. The wooden walkway allows walkers, runners, and bikers to stick to a safe, coastal path all the way.

The Railway Trail continues through a protected nature reserve, northeast of the beach and picnic park, which contains mangrove-fringed tidal pools and many indigenous plants.