Enjoying sun, sand and surf at Manly Beach

Manly
Popular tourist and holiday resort location at southern end of Sydney's northern beaches
The appeal of Manly is simple. It has a genuine diversity of attractions for both tourists and non-tourists. It is located on a narrow isthmus between Sydney Harbour and the Pacific Ocean. The Corso offers all the usual attractions of a beachside tourist destination - pubs, ice cream shops, fast food outlets, outdoor cafes, gift shops - and it offers sunlovers and swimmers some of Sydney's finest beaches.

Manly is located 14km north-east of the Sydney CBD and can be easily reached by fast jetcat, the famous Manly ferry, car, bus from the city and bus from St Leonards railway station.

The first European to visit the area was Captain Arthur Phillip who arrived on the harbour side of the future suburb as early as January 1788. Remarking upon the noble and manly stature of the local male Aborigines he decided to call the location Manly Cove. This manliness found a rather unusual demonstration when, upon a subsequent visit to the Cove, Phillip was speared by a man named Willomering. Phillip refused to punish the man believing that the spearing was a natural response to a fear of Europeans.

By 1836-37 a European, John Whaley, had been granted 20 acres near Manly Lagoon and settled in the area. Although he is widely considered the first European settler there had been grants of land as early as 1810. In that year Richard Chears had received 100 acres and Gilbert Baker had received 30 acres. In 1827 D'Arcy Wentworth bought some land in the area and was granted a further 380 acres. None of this was developed. By the 1870s most of the Manly area was still virgin coastal scrub and it wasn't until 1877 that serious suburban subdivision started.

It is interesting to note that in 1841 the population of Manly was 61 and there were only ten houses. The area was noted for its birds and The Corso, now the suburb's most famous street, was nothing more than a sandy track from the harbour to the ocean, which was edged by native flora including bottlebrushes and native wildflowers.The Corso was named by an early settler, Henry Gilbert Smith, after a street he remembered in Rome.

In the 1850s Smith was the suburb's driving force. In 1854 he built a home named Fairlight after which today's suburb is named. In the same year he started the first ferry service to the city, he built the first pier and a hotel and in 1855 he subdivided the area and effectively established the suburb of Manly. He is also credited with the extensive planting of Norfolk pines, some of which still stand today.

It was on Manly beach in 1902 that William Gocher changed the nature of Sydney. If you went bathing during the day at the turn of the century you were obliged to wear a bathing costume which covered your body from neck to knee. There was also a law which segregated males and females.

Surfing, or sea bathing as it was called at the time, was frowned upon and the legislation insisted that there was no sea bathing between 6.00 a.m. and 8.00 p.m. It was designed to ensure that the Sydney's were largely empty during daylight hours.

One brave swimmer, William Gocher, editor of the Manly and North Sydney News, deciding the laws were stupid and needed to be changed, and went for a swim at Manly on 8 September, 1902.

In his book Lifesaver, Peter James recalls: 'Through the pages of his paper, he announced his intention of bathing at mid-day on the following Sunday from Manly's ocean beach. A large crowd gathered to see Gocher hauled off to gaol in a horse-drawn paddy wagon, but the police did not appear. The following day, Gocher went to the Police Commissioner asking for clarification of the legal situation regarding sea bathing during daylight hours. The Commissioner informed him that no police action would be taken against citizens if they bathed during the day, providing they were suitably clad.' Thus Manly can reasonably claim to be the true founder of surfing in Australia.

Things to see:  

Manly Wharf

Ferry Trips
It is often said that the greatest pleasure available on Sydney Harbour is to catch the ferry across to Manly from Circular Quay. It is hard to argue with this. The views are spectacular. The experience of crossing the open water between South Head and North Head (known simply as "crossing the heads") is never less than exciting as the ferry is inevitably caught by the swell. And the joy of enjoying the beauty of the harbour, particularly if it is a bright and sunny day, is the best way to appreciate one of Australia's most spectacular tourist attractions. The ferries run regularly. Their timetables are on the internet at http://www.sydneyferries.info/timetables/manly.php.

Manly Beach, North Steyne and Queenscliff
The main beach is ideal for walking, jogging and surfing. It is broken into three definable areas - Manly Beach (at the south), North Steyne (in the middle) and Queenscliff (in the middle). There is a surf club for each of these sections of the beach which provides life saving facilities for those wanting to body surf. The beach is used by everyone from anglers to swimmers, surfers and joggers.

The promenade on Manly Beach

St Patricks College
Located on Darley Road to the south of The Corso, on the hill overlooking the ocean beaches, is the International College of Tourism and Hotel Management. This beautiful building was originally St Patrick's College. The land was originally granted to Archbishop Polding in 1859 to establish an episcopal residence which is why the sandstone building was known as "the Cardinal's palace". However it wasn't until 1884 that the building was commenced and it was used for trainee priests until it became the International College in 1996. It took three years for the college to be built with most of the sandstone coming from North Head.

The view from North Head

North Head
North Head, which can be accessed by both car and bus, offers the finest views of Sydney Harbour. It is more elevated that South Head and it provides views right up Middle Harbour with the CBD, North Sydney and Chatswood all the skyline. The views across to South Head are equally impressive.

Below the headland is the Manly Quarantine Station. Check out the website for tours at http://manlyquarantine.com. The website notes: "Manly Quarantine Station in Sydney, Australia, is a place of national, international, historical and social significance. Many immigrants to Australia spent their first few weeks here either recovering from illness or waiting to make sure they had not contracted an illness. Those who have stayed here are representative of the various stages of immigration to this country. The combination of Aboriginal sites, medical and immigration history, maritime history, undisturbed bushland, endangered Bandicoots, Stringybark and Fairy Penguins make this a place of importance to a great many people both in Australia and in other parts of the world.

Manly Quarantine Station is part of Sydney Harbour National Park and is administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales who operate guided tours and a resource centre for educational purposes."

Parking
For those who drive, Manly, particularly in summer, can be a nightmare for parking. There are a number of large public, multistorey car parks in the central area and