Head south of the city and you’ll find people who love their footy, the laid-back beach lifestyle of the Sutherland Shire – known universally as “the Shire” – and swimming, windsurfing, jet-skiing and SUP-ing in Botany Bay, the spot where Captain James Cook first landed in 1770. Head even further south still to discover the unbridled beauty of the Royal National Park, the country’s oldest, and unmissable spots like Bundeena and Wattamolla Beach.