This is the best time of year to be in Sydney

There’s no traffic, everyone’s relaxed, the post-Christmas sales are pumping, and the parks are full of kids playing with their new toys.

It’s like a real-life version of Funniest Home Videos as four-year-old Sacha repeatedly rides into walls on her shiny pink bike, only to bounce up, beaming, ready for another go.

But the highlight is the beach – that sandy strip of egalitarianism that separates the land from the sea.

Here, you are not judged by whether you are rich or poor, male or female, black or white.

At Freshwater – to my mind, the best beach in Sydney – I saw a G-stringed Brazilian babe sun-baking next to an old Italian mama in her mourning black; sandy-haired dads teaching their sons how to surf; a heavily-pregnant mum watching her brood build a sandcastle straight from Lord of the Rings.

Taj has become adept at scaling the vertiginous cliffs, so I peek through my fingers pretending not to be scared while he pretends to be Spiderman.

We follow crabs as they scurry under rocks, pick flowers for the dining table back home, and use our empty coffee cups to collect shells for Grace’s growing collection.

Then we pinch ourselves at how lucky we are to live in such a glorious city, with so many free and fun things to do.

Most lakes, beaches and parks have free BBQs where you can burn a snag or two.

For picnicking – and snorkelling, for that matter – you can’t beat Shelley Beach at Manly.

Just make sure there are no sharks.

Last year, hubby heard on the radio that there was a shiver of sharks off Shelley Beach, specifically bronze whalers.

“Aren’t they dangerous?” I asked, forgetting that Jason fancies himself as a marine biologist.

“Nah, they’re harmless,” he said as he packed the flippers.

It was months later that we heard – via another radio broadcast – that these are possibly the most aggressive sharks known to man.

Doh!

Even if you’re not into the beach, you can go to your local pub to hear a great band, have a leisurely lunch at an outdoor café, visit a museum you haven’t been to before, or check out an art exhibition.

Yes, it’s a bit expensive, but seeing that gorgeous baby elephant Luk Chai at Taronga Zoo is priceless.

So is the look on kids’ faces when they first set eyes on the roaring replica dinosaur at the Australian Museum.

(We had to leave halfway through the Egyptian Treasures exhibit because the kids couldn’t understand the concept of mummies. “Why are the mummies dead? Are you going to be dead? Will they wrap you in bandages?” You get the drift.)

So every time you see the news reports about freezing temperatures in the US and Europe, thank your lucky stars that you live under the Southern Cross.

This truly is the greatest country on earth.