How I got there: As soon as the lock-down lifted, I wanted to have a vacation with my husband. Unfortunately, we were allowed to freely roam and holiday only in Sydney, so I thought, why not drive to Manly and spend a couple of days there in the sun and on the beach!
Total duration: The drive is around 1 hour from Western Sydney, and we spent two and a half days here.
Traffic light for children: Green
About the place: Manly is an iconic Sydney beach, and if you live in Sydney, you would definitely have visited Manly. However, living in Manly is another experience altogether and a perfect stay-cation spot! Steal my itinerary…
Day 1 -> Manly Wharf and Reef Beach
The first thing that we did was visit the Manly Wharf! This is also the starting point for Manly to Spit walk, the iconic Sydney scenic walk. There are so many amazing views that you get to see here and the waters near the wharf are really calm and good for swimming. Because we landed here around 2 PM, this was ideal for us to take a casual stroll near the wharf and walk till the Reef Beach. The Reef beach is about 5 KM from the Wharf, almost half point on the Manly to Spit Walk. Beautiful weather and calming views relaxed my tired mind for sure!
Day 2 -> Manly Beach, Shelly Beach and Balmoral Beach
On day 2, after grabbing a cup of the best coffee that I have ever had from Silo Espresso (https://www.siloespresso.com/), we headed straight to the Manly Beach. Manly Beach has shallow and calming waters which is great to swim in.
As you walk along the track on the way to Shelly Beach, you will find beautiful views along the Cabbage Tree Bay, with cute cafes and shops, you get the feeling that you are in Greece!
As we walked down the path, we came to Shelly Beach, which is a beautiful beach with amazing blue and green hues. We also had lunch at The Boat Shed, whilst overlooking the beach. So relaxing! We spent a couple of hours by the beach, you see wild turkeys running about without a care in the world and there is a great viewpoint atop a small hill right next to the beach, where you can see a spectacular view of Manly Beach.
Then I had a brain wave, why not visit Mosman and look at the spring flowers on display there! Boy I was not disappointed. Just walking by the Mosman Ferry station and walking on the track to South Mosman Wharf, was so satisfying.
From here, we decided to go to Balmoral Beach, which is about a 20-minute drive from Manly. Balmoral beach is ideally for casual strolling or bringing your kids for a day out on the Beach, there is so much sand! We walked here for a couple of hours before heading back early, in anticipation of Kayaking on the next day!
Day 3 -> Kayaking in Manly
Traffic light for children: Red
I booked a Kayaking experience via Airbnb, called Clearview Kayak Sydney Tour in Manly. This is a 2.5 Hour Kayak Tour with really good stops on the beach.
We paddled to Little Manly, Collins, Store and Quarantine Beach, exploring the picturesque caves, rock formations and mini waterfalls on offer. While on this relaxing paddle, we sipped our coffee and ate our refreshments provided by the guide.
We stopped and walked around in Quarantine Beach, which has really well-preserved quarantine facilities from the 1800s. Its an eerie feeling, when we think about the 40 days those sailors spent in quarantine back in the olden days. This is a very historical place, and you get a real sense of calm when you visit this beach and the historical place. The waters were pretty rough while getting back, that was the beauty of it ! I won’t spoil the fun, explore by yourselves, and have a great time!
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