Northern Beaches
When you talk to people about Australian beaches most immediately ask if you went to Bondi.
It seems that for tourists the Northern beaches are yet unexplored and what a hidden treasure it is!
The local councils maintain coastal pathways, with which you can literally walk kilometers from beach to beach. I don’t say this lightly, I literally walked 13 km the one day without realising how far I walked.
You can park on a neighborhood side street or in one of the beach parking areas. The beach parking areas is not free. The public transport in Australia is top of the line, so you can easily take a bus. Download the “TripViewLite” app on your phone to find the right bus and bus stop.
Public Transport
TripviewLite is an excellent app to have when visiting Australia. It has schedules for all modes of transport and you can easily get from point A to B using only public transport. The public transport is so extensive and well maintained that you literally do not need a rental car. You will need a Opal card to use the public transport.
Coastal Walks
After spending a lot of time walking the pathways, I can’t pick a favourite coastal walk as they all have something spectacular about them. Pack your swimsuit, a picnic lunch and water to make a day out of it. All the beaches have a rock swimming pool for those you don’t want to swim in the ocean. Clean public restrooms with shower facilities can be found at all the beaches.
To name a few: Dee Why, Collaroy, Long Reef, Freshie, Manly, Shelley Beach
The walks start either from the beach or from the beach’s parking area. Some of the walks will take you over the beach and then up a cliff walkway which will provide spectacular views.
Photo taken of Manly Beach with a Nikon D7100 Camera. ISO 100, f5/6 and 1/500s
Manly to Shelly Beach
The Manly to Shelly Beach walk goes from Manly beach surf club to Shelly Beach with benches along the way to sit down for a minute or two and take in the view. It is a short fifteen minutes walk along Marine Promenade also known as Cabbage Tree Bay walk. What makes this walk special is the various small silver sculptures that you will find along the way. The sculptures ranging from Fish to snails and land animals each have a small plague adjacent with the creatures name.
Photo taken of Silver sculptures along the Crabtree Walkway with a Nikon D7100 Camera. ISO 100, f5/3 and 1/10s
These eleven sculptures depict the unique marine ecosystem of this marine reserve. If you’re lucky you will also spot the Water Dragon lizards that stay in the vegetation on the land side of the walk way.
Photo taken of Silver sculptures along the Crabtree Walkway with a Nikon D7100 Camera. ISO 100, f1/8 and 1/50s
Also found on the walk is the Historical Fairy Bower Baths. This triangular shaped saltwater rock pool was built in the late 1920s with beautiful curvalinear Bronze Sculptures known as “The Sea Nymphs” or “The Oceansides”, The newest addition to the pool is the sun deck around the pool, providing lots of space to soak up the sun or spend some time with friends. Fairy Bower Baths afford a stunning bay view and is the perfect location as its just minutes from the city.
Photo taken of Fairy Bower bath sculptures along the Crabtree Walkway with a Nikon D7100 Camera. ISO 100, f1/8 and 1/60s
To reach Manly from the inner CBD is a 40 minute ferry ride from Circular Quay to Manly’s northern beach. The ferry ride is a must do for everyone. It has stunning water views of the Opera House as well as the Sydney bridge. Be sure to get a seat on the top open deck, if the weather permits, so that you can soak up the views and have ample photo opportunities.
Shelley Beach is rockier than Manly which makes it a popular spot for snorkelling there is also a Scuba Diving centre and you will often see the trainees either on the beach or in the water. Its more of a cove than a beach, which makes it safe for the little ones as the waves is non-existent to small. Although it is rockier that the long stretch of Manly beach.
Photo taken of Shelly Beach from the Crabtree Walkway with a Nikon D7100 Camera. ISO 100, f1/9 and 1/100s
All photos was taken by me. I use a Nikon D7100 camera with a 18-55mm lens.
The photos is copyrighted and not for public use.