Cooks Terrace

Cooks Terrace is a Sydney northern-beaches classic — a coastal soaring site above Narrabeen with a huge grassy park behind launch and non-metered parking right at the site, which is why it's so popular. When conditions are light and the wind has north in the east, pilots settle into a shared 'circuit' pattern — upwind close to the ridge, downwind out to sea — so know the pattern and don't force right of way. Spectators are usually plentiful; hang gliders in the mix on busy days make things properly busy.

Launch & conditions

Do NOT step on the low wooden fence and don't lay out your canopy right on the edge. In light N-of-E conditions, pilots share a circuit: upwind close to the ridge, downwind out to sea — join the pattern.

Getting there & local rules

Near the intersection of Narrabeen Park Parade and Cooks Terrace, about 50 minutes north of Sydney city centre. Northbound on Pittwater Rd, right at the hospital into Coronation Street, follow the road out to the beach and right again up the hill. Park in the car park along Narrabeen Park Parade. Landings: beaches to the north or south of the headland. The park at the northern end works when the wind has little to no south in it. Top-landing is very easy — approach from the appropriate direction and land in the front half of the launch area; watch for spectators, and drop your wing quickly to keep the launch clear.

Local rules & hazards

Lower level of controlled airspace is at 2,500 ft. Rotor exists behind the bush at the northern top of the cliff — stay out of the hatched section on the site map. When the wind is southerly, don't fly the NE-facing part of the ridge (you can move into the bowl behind Warriewood beach, but not into the lee of Warriewood headland). If the wind moves more north, the reverse applies. Radio-controlled aircraft often operate at the northern end of the ridge.

Check conditions before you fly

A forecast for the valley is not a forecast for the launch. Before heading to Cooks Terrace, read the wind and thermals for the site itself, confirm the day's rules with the local club, and remember the standing rule — when in doubt, don't launch. In the free OutDare app you can open Cooks Terrace with a 7-day forecast built from high-resolution weather models, see who else has been flying, and get there with offline maps.