Manly New South Wales Australia

A visit to Manly by ferry provides you with the quintessential Sydney experience. The thirty-minute cruise across Sydney Harbour to this iconic Northern Beaches destination puts you in a relaxed mood to enjoy this easy-going and cosmopolitan suburb.

Known For

• Iconic surf beach lined with cafes and restaurants
• Manly ferry – a great trip from Circular Quay

With the famous surf beach on the Pacific Ocean side and a serene inner harbour beach on the other, Manly has the best of both waterfront worlds and is a popular place to swim, windsurf, parasail, snorkel, kayak, surf and scuba dive.

The palm-tree lined Corso leads you onto the promenade, where you can take a bike ride or roller-blade along the front or relax and enjoy the sea breeze in one of the many cafes and restaurants.

Manly’s Sydney Harbour National Park, whose North Head overlooks the harbour’s entrance, makes for ideal bushwalking with numerous routes linking the beaches with the national park. As well as inviting you to enjoy its natural wonders Manly also offers a tempting year-round calendar of diverse and appealing events.

Things To Do

Key Experiences

• Getting there really is half the fun – the ferry or JetCat journey from Circular Quay across Sydney Harbour is a must do.
• Get energised by taking part in activities like bike riding, roller blading, tennis, bush walking, sailing, golf and parasailing. Or head to the beach for a surf or SCUBA lesson.
• Taste the different cuisines from the range of restaurants in Manly, or people watch over a leisurely coffee.
• Enjoy picturesque views of native bushland in a coastal setting on the Manly to Spit Bridge scenic walkway.
• Visit the unique Manly Art Gallery & Museum – one of New South Wales’ major regional galleries, to view the permanent historical exhibitions and regularly-changing displays of Australian art and pottery.
• Go on the daily tour of the historical Quarantine Station or awaken your sixth sense with the evening ghost tour, both conducted by National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Popular Manly

Catching the ferry from Circular Quay to the seaside suburb of Manly is a quintessential Sydney experience providing you with some stunning views of the Harbour, its islands and waterfront mansions.

Manly boasts both harbour and surf beaches and was once touted as being “seven miles from Sydney and a thousand miles from care”. You’ll find it still holds true today.

From Manly Wharf, spend the morning floating above the harbour. Sydney Harbour Parasailing takes those who are game out onto the water for an exhilarating ride that shows off the harbour from a completely different perspective.

Alternatively, experience a true adrenalin rush with Ocean Extreme. Gear up for a racy ride in an inflatable speed boat, dodging and weaving around larger vessels and riding through the wake.

Later, meander around to Oceanworld Manly, where you can see huge sharks being fed by hand, oceans of living coral and spectacular seal shows. For spectacular views of Sydney’s necklace of golden beaches, the entrance to Sydney Harbour and a distant city vista, head up to North Head, just a short bus ride from Manly Wharf.

Complete your visit to Manly with a stroll along the surf beach esplanade. If learning to surf has been a dream, surfing lessons are available and with experienced guidance you will soon be able to tackle the waves.

Nearest Airport: Mascot