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Manly Beach

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Rachel
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4 out of 5
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7
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1-5 of 7

A Beach with Lots of People, Stores and Fish

  • December 27, 2008
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Poole Party from everywhere, Virginia
A Beach with Lots of People, Stores and Fish

Manly Beach

A fun people-watching beach with tons of beach town shopping. The water is clear and calm and we saw Manta ray swimming in the more secluded areas of the beach. BUT, no sharks!

There are lots of food places along the shopping strip, and these serve anything from McDonalds type fare to fish and chips, ice cream, doughnuts. Also, lots of places to pick up a swim suit, and glasses and everything else you might need if you arrive unprepared for a stay at the beach.

Oceanworld Manly – Aquarium

Two minutes from Manly Wharf you’ll find Oceanworld Manly, an aquarium open from 10am - 5.30pm every day except 25 December.

There are three levels. The main Oceanarium is on the lower level featuring sharks, giant rays, sea turtles and other marine life. There is a 100 metre Oceanarium tunnel to view the 4 million litre tank. On the entrance level are tropical fish, crocodile, baby sharks, sea horses, corals and venomous sea creatures as well as touchpool.

The upper level features reptile exhibits and reptile shows.

This is not a fully wheelchair accessible building. Only the entrance level can accommodate a wheelchair. There is a stroller bay to leave your stroller while looking through the aquarium.

If you are a diehard aquarium lover, then you will probably enjoy this place, however, Sydney aquarium offers similar views and items and on a grander scale, so if you don’t have free tickets, you might want to save your money for fish and chips.

The walk about through the whole place takes about 1-2 hours depending on whether or not you catch a reptile show. Parking on the streets is limited to 2 hours and can be sketchy on the weekends so arrive early!

Adult $18.50
Child $9.95
Family (2A+2C) $45.95
Discounted Admission after 3.30 pm 15% off all prices

From journal Weekend in Sydney

Editor Pick

Manly Beach

  • May 4, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by stomps from Houston, Texas
Manly Beach

As soon as I got off the ferry and began wandering through the Manly area, I was instantly a much bigger fan than I ever was of Bondi. Manly's main street, The Corso, was a cute, artistic street lined with shops, rather than a gaudy, insanely touristy street lined with shops like Campbell Parade. There was plenty of greenery in the form of tiny gardens and palm trees planted along the street, and I saw a couple (rather different) sculptures that spiced up the decor of the area. The shops themselves did not seem nearly as touristy (or maybe that could just be my bias against Bondi)—I saw plenty of the tacky souvenirs, but was also able to find some very nice looking ones as well, along with some great postcards.An interesting factoid about Manly Beach: apparently, when Captain Cook made his first visit to Australia, there was an Aboriginal man standing on the Manly peninsula looking out at them. Someone made a comment along the lines of "He looks very manly", and the name stuck.The Corso takes you straight across the tiny peninsula that Manly is located on from Manly Wharf, on the harbour side and where the ferry docks, to Manly Beach itself. I liked that The Corso was perpendicular to Manly Beach, rather than parallel, because it separated the shopping and eating area from the actual beach area. So, instead of the beach being lined with shops, it was lined with plenty of pine trees and a few hotels and other buildings peeking out between them.The view here is absolutely, well, breathtaking. The beach stretches much farther than Bondi does, and it seems that everywhere you look, there is white sand, brilliant blue waves, or the deep green of the pine trees waiting to greet you. The beach could have been as crowded as Bondi, but since it was much longer, the density of people was much lower.While I didn't go swimming, because of my inability to actually remember to put my swimsuit in my bag, I did dip my feet in the water. It was a bit cold, but the type of cold that you get used to and feel refreshed by after a few dunks in the waves, rather than the bone-chilling kind of say, the beach at Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road in the middle of the winter. The waves here are said to be some of the best in the area for surfing as well, so there were surfers out en force. You don't have to worry too much about getting hit by a surfer if you're just swimming, which was one of my main concerns at a beach like Byron Bay, because there are flags marking the swimmers' area and flags marking the surfers' area.Manly Beach was, overall, fantastic. I just wish I had more time there—next time, if I'm staying on a beach in Sydney, it will most certainly be at Manly!

From journal Sydney: Worth All the Fuss

Editor Pick

Manly Beach - a thousand miles from care...

  • May 1, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by actonsteve from London, United Kingdom
Manly Beach - a thousand miles from care...

Even the hardest of hearts will soften on a ferry ride across Sydney Harbour to Manly Beach.

From the deck of a ship you get a sense of the scale of the harbour. Every minute brought views of condos, inlets, sailboats, coves and surf crashed shores. Imagine doing this every day in good weather, and lets face it - thats pretty often in Sydney.

Manly Beach is a beachside suburb on the northern shore that is one of the best excursions you can make in Sydney. It has been a Sydney favourite for generations - a ferry ride, day at the beach and fish 'n chips have been a staple since the thirties and with its art-deco architecture it is redolent of those times. Its position is half the attraction, it stands just north of the mouth of Sydney harbour facing towards the pacific. You can reach it from the harbour, but must walk across the neck of 'The Corso' to reach the beaches. Buses do run to Manly but the best way is by ferry from Circular Quay and is $10.50 for a return fare.

As you draw into Manly Wharf you can get a first look at the suburb. Victorian dwellings line the shore overlooking piers and a small beach. Across the road is the start of 'The Corso' which connects the pier with the beaches. 'The Corso' is charming. The shops are painted pastel colours and house pubs, chemists, souvenir shops, surf shops and British/Irish shops for the ex-pat community. You see fifty-somethings emerge from shops wearing "thongs" clutching newspapers under their arms. There is an air of contentment about the place. One of my aunts friends emigrating to Manly in the sixties - she is still there.

At the end of 'The Corso' is 2 km of sandy beach. Even in early spring the sun is out making the water glitter. The promenade is pounded by joggers and overlooked by Norfolk pines. Whenever I see Norfolk pines I am reminded of Robert Hughes book "The Fatal Shore" when Norfolk island was a horrific penal colony - now it is a rich tax haven. Even in spring surfing is possible and I saw some hardy souls brave the water.

But best of all is a footpath winding around a rocky headland. It snakes around streaked rocks to another beach called Cabbage Tree Bay. The sand was golden here and flanked by pristine eucalypt forest. The southern ocean shone sapphire in the sunlight and scuba divers could be seen. A cappucino could be bought at a beachside cafe and as I listened I heard that you could not buy anything in Sydney for less then $200,000 these days..

After viewing Manly Beach - quite frankly, I am not surprised...

From journal The watery city of Sydney - Gleaming, Glittering and Gigantic

Manly Beach

  • January 30, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Koentje3000 from Hamme, Belgium
Manly Beach

Manly is a beach resort town located across the harbour at a distance of 12km from the Sydney city centre. It's not as famous as Bondi Beach, but apparently it's much quieter. I have never been to Bondi Beach, so I can't compare. Basically it is not much more than a suburb of Sydney, with around 35000 inhabitants.

But the town has got more to offer than only a commuter's accommodation. Manly's city centre is located on a peninsula, with the Sydney Harbour on the west side of the town and the Pacific Ocean on the east side. The Manly beach, located at the Pacific Ocean is a decent sand strip great for sunbathing or swimming in the sea. As this is one of the most famous beach towns in the Sydney area, there are of course lots of bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.

We did a day trip to Manly from Sydney. In the morning we took a half an hour ferry ride from Circular Quay directly to Manly. It costs 6AU$ one way and runs the whole day. From the ferry you will get a beautiful view on Sydney's CBD, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. You arrive at the Manly wharf, and from there we walked through the town to end at the Manly beach. In this part of town there are many shops and bars. From all parts of Manly you can make many beautiful walking trails. From Manly beach we did the 30 min Fairfax walk on the peninsula in the south of the town, ending at the wharf.

We continued our walk past the wharf for 1 hour (part of the Manly scenic walkway) to end in Dobroyd Head where you can find a nice secluded beach, some beautiful scenery and a beautiful view on the Sydney skyline. You can walk further along the scenic walkway to Sydney, but we decided to take a bus back to the city centre, because it was still a 2 hour walk!

From journal Summer in Australia's Biggest City

Manly Beach

  • July 28, 2005
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Emms137 from San Luis Obispo, California
Manly Beach

This is a bit more sedate than Bondi Beach, but equally enjoyable. Manly Beach is easily accessible by ferry from downtown Sydney (catch a ferry at Circular Quay; the ride is about an hour). Manly Beach is a large beach with fine sand and a good deal of activity. There is surfing and volleyball to watch or participate in, and swimming is possible here.

The town of Manly is touristy but fun, and there are several gift shops that are fun to poke around in looking for the perfect Australia souvenir (I found these shops to be much cheaper than the shops downtown). There are cute restaurants and bars all around. I thoroughly enjoyed spending an afternoon and evening in Manly, as it is a nice reprieve from the city and a very relaxing place to spend some time.

From journal G'day from Sydney

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