Scenic Walking Around Sydney Northern Beaches
16/06/10
© David Newton
Sydney’s northern beaches hold many treasures for those living north of the harbour. But you can visit these places to see why they are so popular for your own eyes.
If you look at the Sydney map from Manly all the way up to Palm Beach – a distance of about 20 kms you’ll discover that its loaded with beach spots.
While not all of these are easy to get to, the vast majority are. Some of the hot spots for social activity are the ever popular Manly Esplanade and Shelly Beach areas. Just a bit up the road is Dee Why, which is a famous for its own foodie street named The Strand, full of cafes and eateries.
Further up the road is Avalon with tranquil views of the Pacific Ocean and high rocky cliff faces fronting the sea.
If you go a little further – you’ll eventually get to Palm Beach which has a sandy beachside towards the ocean and a golf course facing the west side.
Scenic Dee Why
At Dee Why, you’ve got two wonderful walks either side of the Dee Why Beach. Its a hot spot for surfing competitions and for beach side walking. The place has history spanning back to the late 1800′s when it was an area owned by the Salvation Army as a working rehabilitation farm.
Mona Vale
A lovely clump of shops is at the corner of Mona Vale Rd and Barrenjoey Roads. Its about one of the last central shopping areas you’ll find along the way north.
Avalon Beach
At Avalon – this place has a vibrant café society in its realm. Its also the home to where a few TV shows have been filmed. At present the area is fighting back a development from a major grocery chain.
Whale Beach
Wow what views from here! A spot pretty close by to Palm Beach and has winding roads around a major cliff face looking down onto a small sandy beach. If you do get a chance to visit this spot, please bring your camera! The views are to die for. Its also very humbling to see the power of the ocean waves crashing into the coastline.
Church Point
The inner waters of the park make way for an excellent quiet water boating spot near Scotland Island – where you can get a ferry and see the place yourself. You can take a ferry to a spot on the National Park where a YHA is housed. Its great fun for a night away from the city.
Palm Beach
Again there is another ferry here that will take you to The Basin – interesting name isn’t it? (where is the sink?) and to Mackerel Beach.
However while you’re at Palm Beach take a walk up to Barrenjoey Head and the surrounding area. After you’ve done that – if its a Sunday – you can sopend time at the Palm Beach Markets which are near the beach and maybe walk to a café where you can hear live music most Sundays.
What I like about this place apart from its seclusion, is that it has wonderful rolling sand dunes. The place has a fairly quiet beach front. But if you like eating fish and chips, you need to be on the western side where this are several cafes opposite the Palm Beach Ferry Wharf.
Back to Manly
I’ve only been a true fan of this place since 1989. Mostly what I discovered was that if you walk away from the main Esplanade area and walk to the northern end of Manly Beach you’ll discover a pool which is built into the rock face and a more less congested sandy front for steching out your beach towel and things.
Another great café restaurant to go to along the Esplanade is Ashers Table which is about halfway along the beach on your left side as you walk north bound.
Manly North Head
In the late 90′s this place opened up to people as the military pulled out of the area. At North Fort, is a walk you can take all the way to the edge of the cliff called Lady Fairfax Walk. The views are spectacular, and you might even see whales at some times of the year from there.
In the main shopping area of Manly, which is around The Corso, a short walking track the Aborigines used for thousands of years between the Manly Beach and Manly Harbour, is a hive of community activity. My favourite is a café located in Sydney Road called Ground Zero. They have great service and friendly staff. Plus its computer friendly with power points for Laptop users.
Where to get Fish and Chips at Manly?
There are basically 2 main shops that will give you good fish and chips in downtown Manly. The first is at 110 The Corso called Oceanfoods – the second is at 22 Wentworth St called Manly Fish Market. Both of these places are popular but you can then eat your takeaway meal at one of the tables near the beach afterwards.
Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race
On Boxing Day at 1PM the race begins from Sydney Harbour. Its a very fast race. Many locals and other visitors walk up to the lookout viewing spots from near North Fort and Lady Fairfax Walk. But here’s the tip; Get there EARLY – the place seems to fill up fast just one hour before the race starts. Seeing the yachts come around the headlands is a great sight, all the sails look simnply majestic, what a view! You must see it at least once with your own eyes.
Shelly Beach Manly
Sydney has two Shelly Beaches, one at Manly, the other at Cronulla, so for tourists, it can be confusing. Anyway, I recommend you to take the paved walk along from Manly to Shelly Beach – there’s a café at the end of your walk, so you’ll be charmed by that.
Shelly Beach has small sandy beach, with a little rocky outcrop just above it. Yes, you can even drive there, via Bower Road behind all the eclectic homes positioned with super views of the Pacific Ocean on Bower Road. When you get there, you’ll see a vibrant community feel the place holds. I’ve seen everything from weddings held there to snorkel and diver training workshops on the beach at Shelly.
How to get to the Northern Beaches?
By Car: you can cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge and take the exit towards Neutral Bay and simply follow Military Road – you’ll cross over at The Spit Bridge then follow the road all the way to Manly via Sydney Road.
By Ferry: There are several ferries that go to Manly from Circular Quay, each half hour is the Manly ferry from Wharf 3 and there are about 3 fast ferries from Wharf 2 and East Quay just walk around your right hand side of the quay to where a commercial wharf is located.
As far as weekends go, I strongly suggest taking the fast ferry services, as the main (slow) ferry is very overcrowded on weekends. Its no fun taking a ferry ride on an overcrowded ferry service, the Fast Ferry is better.
By Bus:
You can take a number of buses from Carrington Street above Wynyard Station. Such as 190, L90 which go all the way to Palm Beach.
Or you can go from Chatswood to Manly via 144 bus or 143, both go via Neutral Bay. Or you can go via the 136 bus which travels through Dee Why back to the Manly Wharf, or take the same 136 and travel from Manly to Dee Why, its a frequent service.
While you’re at it, you can get a bus from Manly Wharf to the North Fort its the 135 bus. There’s a few car park spots up there too.
