Manly, Sydney
Manly is widely regarded as the birthplace of surfing in Australia and to this day is widely regarded as a hotbed of board riding talent. From hosting the inaugural World Surfing Championships in 1964 won by 19 year old Northern Beaches local Midget Farrelly, fast forward to the 2000s and Manly’s Layne Beachley dominated the Women’s professional surfing tour winning an unprecedented 7 World Championships.
Manly has a very international vibe and is very popular with both students and visiting tourists falling in love with golden sandy beaches and the charming heritage architecture lining the Corso.
Paddle into the lineup at any of Manly’s surf breaks and you could be sharing waves with past, present and future world surfing champs, not to mention the great community of surfers from all walks of life!
South Steyne Beach
South Steyne A great option in a howling South westerly storm, the protected south corner at South Steyne is a popular local hangout especially for the groms and longboarders. Often out of bounds during lifeguard patrol hours in the summer months as it’s a favoured spot for the red and yellow swim zone!
North Steyne Beach
North Steyne One of Sydney’s most consistent high quality waves and home to everything from grass roots surfing with the annual Aloha Junior Boardriders all the way to the WQS/WSL Challenger Series Tour and World Longboard Tour.
Queenscliff Beach
Queenscliff BeachQueenscliff Look North towards the cliffs and you’ll see the letters QBC painted in a big red heart. This stretch of sand at the mouth of the lagoon is Queenscliff-home to the Queenscliff Boardriders Club. This place is a great alternative on a crowded day. Keep an eye out the back for the Queenscliff Bombora- a big wave spot and also a great indicator to when the sets are rolling in!
Winki / Fairy Bower
Winki/Fairy Bower is a beautifully peeling righthand point on a small day, but once there’s a sniff of power in the swell Winki can turn into an epic hollow tubing slab which can connect all the way into Fairy Bower to give an unforgettable experience! To reach this spot you can either paddle out of the bay at Shelly Beach or for a more direct paddle out follow the path through the trees and scale the path down through the rocks.
Deadman’s Cliffs
Deadman’s Cliffs As the name suggests, this place is definitely NOT for the faint hearted. Congrats if you didn’t die whilst scaling down the cliff face and timing the rock-off into the lineup! Deadman’s or Deadies as the locals refer to it is a seriously gnarly right hand slab that only breaks a handful of times a year, usually during the East Coast Low pressure systems we experience during the winter months. On it’s day you’ll find only the bravest core lords taking on heaving walls of water just metres away from the cliffs to the hoots and screams of the crowds gathered on cliffs to watch!
Shelley Beach & Cabbage Tree Bay
Shelly Beach – Cabbage Tree Bay If the waves are flat or you’re simply surfed out then Manly has a secret for you. Grab a snorkel mask or even just a set of swimming goggles and say ‘hey Siri take me to Shelly Beach’ Just a short walk south along the beachfront is Shelly Beach, you’ll pass the fairy bower rock pool and there you’ll find the sandy little cove of Shelly- as beautiful under the water as it is above the water. On any given day you’re likely to see to turtles, shoals of fish, schools of dolphin and if you look hard enough maybe you’ll spot a Wobegong or even a Port Jackson Shark..
