Ettalong sits on the Woy Woy Peninsula where Brisbane Water meets Broken Bay. The beach faces the bay, so the water is flat and the sunsets are over the water. If you want surf, Ocean Beach is a few minutes away in Umina.
The heart of it is the Esplanade: cafés, the Diggers, the ferry wharf and the walk along the sand. Most people who move here are after that pace of life without giving up Sydney. The ferry gets you to Palm Beach, and Woy Woy station is about 10 minutes by car.