Birthday Party Venues in Sutherland Shire

The first call for a Shire birthday is the setting: the ocean at Cronulla, a big pub or club along the Kingsway and Princes Highway corridor, or a smaller restaurant tucked into Caringbah, Kareela or Grays Point.

The beachfront end is where the views are. Sealevel at 2 Kingsway faces North Cronulla Beach and only takes whole-restaurant bookings, from $20,000 minimum spend, while Bobbys Cronulla on The Esplanade seats 56 above South Cronulla beach from $5,000 minimum spend. Further inland, the clubs and pubs trade the ocean for size, parking and lower starting prices.

Shire birthdays, sorted by the kind of night you want:

• An 18th or 21st: read the house rules first, as neither Club Kirrawee on Oak Road nor The Prince Kirrawee accepts 18ths, and the Gymea Hotel asks for a security guard at 21sts
• A 40th with a band: Brass Monkey on Cronulla Street is a basement live music room for 140 standing, and the venue can line up the act
• A 60th or 70th with every generation at the table: Hazel Kitchen and Bar in the Hazelhurst Arts Centre grounds at Gymea seats 120, with a children's menu and high chairs
• A 30th built for dancing: the Elouera Room @ Tradies Gymea has its own bar, a stage and a large dance floor for up to 400 standing
• A small dinner for 20: The Cellar at Jensens in Kareela Village has its own bar and waiter, from $3,000 minimum spend

At the budget end, Sylvania Bowling Club runs canapé packages from $18 per person in its private Sylvania Room, and The Prince Kirrawee's function room, at 533-541 Princes Highway, starts from $30 per person with a balcony terrace along its length.