Dee Why and Long Reef Beaches form a continuous 2km long bay on the southern side of Long Reef point. Named in 1814 by convict surveyor James Meehan, Dee Why is situated in the heart of the Northern Beaches. It was once a sleepy little country town where Sydney-siders would go for weekends, or take their annual holidays in the early 1900s.

Dee Why Surfing Fraternity is the oldest boardriding club in Australia. It was formed in 1961 and renowned surfer Midget Farrelly was the club's first President.

Dee Why is a popular suburb for surfers, swimmers and sports-minded people.

Dee Why is rapidly gaining a reputation as the ‘eat street’ of the Northern Beaches. The local council has invested significantly in revamping the beachfront, which now boasts some excellent restaurants with wonderful ocean views. There is a wide selection of cuisine, ranging from Japanese, Italian, modern Australian, Indian, Chinese, seafood through to Mexican. Well known restaurants include Sandbar, Giovanni’s and Stella Blu, Deck 23, Lets Meat Korean BBQ, Dee Why RSL, which has recently been renovated, is also popular.

Dee Why has a number of child care centres and schools, including Brigadoon Cottage Kindergarten, Kindy Time, Redman House, Warringah Family Day Care, Fisher Road Special School, St Kevins Primary School, Pittwater House at Collaroy, St Augustines College at Brookvale, Cromer Public School and Cromer High School. Nearby tertiary institutions and community colleges include Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE (Brookvale), International College of Tourism (Manly) and Manly Warringah Community College.

Dee Why boasts many apartments, in addition to some traditional ‘beach houses’. Property developers predict a “great future” for the suburb, and there are many new, contemporary complexes being built.

Dee Why features more than 200 specialty shops, including supermarkets such as Woolworths, Coles and Franklins – and the suburb is just minutes from Warringah Mall, Sydney’s largest resort shopping centre.

Once voted one of the top 20 surf spots in the world, Dee Why is still a very popular beach for both surfers and beach-goers. Other attractions include a beachfront park, swimming pool on the point, barbecue / picnic area, coastal walks and nearby golf courses. There is also a Fitness First centre on Pittwater Road.

Located 6km north of Manly, Dee Why is around 25km, or 40 minutes, from the Sydney CBD. It is flanked by suburbs including Curl Curl, Brookvale and Collaroy. From the Dee Why and Brookvale areas the following buses operate at frequent intervals to the city: L90, 190, L88, E88, L85, E83, E78, E79, 178, while the following buses travel along Pittwater Rd to Manly Wharf: 155, 156, 158, 159, and 169.