Silver Beach is a sweeping 2.8 kilometre Botany Bay shoreline on the Kurnell peninsula, facing northwest across the calm bay waters directly towards Port Botany, the Mascot skyline and on clear days the distant Sydney Harbour Bridge arch. The beach takes its name from the fine pale silver-grey sand that squeaks underfoot when dry, and is shaped by 14 evenly spaced timber groynes that break the bay swell, creating quiet shallow pools between each one that are perfect for gentle dog paddles. The beach sits right beside the Kurnell section of Kamay Botany Bay National Park – the exact spot where Captain James Cook first stepped ashore in April 1770 at what is now called Sutherland Point, marked by a stone obelisk at the eastern end of the beach and connected to the dog exercise area via the signed Burrawang Walk coastal trail.

Dog access at Silver Beach is split by Sutherland Shire Council into two clearly defined stretches. The western end of the beach – running from the Bonna Point Reserve car park and boat ramp out to approximately groynes one through five – is the designated Silver Beach Dog Off-leash Exercise Area, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year round, with a small grassy verge behind the sand for pre-run ball games and shade under the coastal casuarina trees. The central and eastern sections of Silver Beach, from roughly groyne six onwards continuing east past the netted swimming enclosure and Captain Cook landing site monument, are strictly on-leash only and patrolled by council rangers on weekends and public holidays, because the netted pool area and Sutherland Point heritage precinct are reserved for family swimming and tourism use without disturbance from running dogs.

Facilities clustered around the Bonna Point western end include a sealed public car park, concrete boat ramp for launching kayaks and tinnies, a covered picnic shelter with tables, cold public showers and toilets at the Bonna Point Reserve entry, and a council water tap positioned conveniently between the car park and the sand for rinsing sandy paws before heading home. Anglers fish the groynes at high tide for bream, dusky flathead and trevally, and the Burrawang Walk heritage trail cuts back into the national park at the eastern end of the off-leash zone for an optional 20 minute on-leash bush loop back to the car park. Street parking is also available along Prince Charles Parade parallel to the beach on busy summer weekends when the main Bonna Point lot fills completely by 10am.