Seven nautical miles from Circular Quay amongst Sydney’s northern beaches lies the beachside suburb of Manly. One of Sydney’s ‘Must Dos’, The trip to Manly is best done by catching the Manly Ferry, taking about 30 minutes on Sydney’s magnificent harbour, taking in some of the world’s best scenery.
Manly has the best of both worlds, one side a quiet harbour side beachfront while the northern side a sunny sandy surf beach which is flocked by thousands on a sunny day.
There are a wealth of major events all year round, with the most notable being Australia’s largest community based Jazz Festival during October, A food and wine festival in June and several surf carnivals over the summer months.
‘A Taste of Manly’ is one of Sydney’s largest regular community based food and wine festivals, occurring on the first weekend in June. Attracting an estimated 30,000 patrons each year, people are drawn by the combination of scenic beach setting and range of quality food and wines on offer.
Manly’s two beaches is linked by a strip of shops called the Corso, here you will find plenty of tourist based shopping plus ice creams, some great al fresco dining and some huge pubs with icy cold beer and fantastic meals. People just love to sit in the sun and people watch.
The surf beach is bound by a magnificent plantation of pines which stretch the whole beach. There is a wide boardwalk for joggers, walkers and spectators.
A popular attraction in Manly is the Ocean World Aquarium which has a diverse range of sea life including sharks, rays and reptiles.
The Manly Wharf is a beautiful art deco building which has just been restored and is full of dining and speciality shops, a great place to visit while waiting for the ferry back to the city.
