Spit Bridge to Manly
The Spit Bridge to Manly Scenic Walkway is a series of short tracks, mostly less than 1-2km, including the Fairlight, Dobroyd and North Harbour walks. Each track covers a themed section of the harbour, so covering all of them in one walk is a great way to experience the diversity of Sydney Harbour’s bays, beaches and bushland.
The walk is well-signed and offers a number of detours for those looking to get off the “beaten track”, such as the views of the harbour from the old Grotto Point Lighthouse. There are a real variety of things to see and do along the way, from swimming to wildlife and whale watching, as well as learning about Sydney’s rich colonial history. For example, Forty Baskets Beach was so-named because of the fish caught there in the 1880s to feed Sudanese soldiers detained at the Quarantine Station, positioned across the harbour at North Head.
There are a few beach passages of the track that are prone to flooding at high tide, and walkers get wet at these stages of the walk, particularly at Castle Rock Beach. The tide is rarely more than knee-high, and if wading isn’t an option, one can always backtrack a little to follow the road around the beach.
If completing the whole walk is beyond reach, don’t miss the view from Dobroyd Head, about halfway along the walk, and easily accessed by car. This elevated view is sensational, exposing almost 270 degrees of the harbour, and offers a perfect spot to catch your breath mid-walk.
Kristi:
February 19th, 2009 at 8:27 am
This is one of my favorite Sydney walks, although a little bit long for my preferred short walk length of 2 hours. I recommend it to all my friends who visit Sydney.
Don’t forget to grab a well earned beer on the deck about the Steyne when you are done!
gimungor:
February 19th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Good advice, and there’s all those icecream joints near the Manly Aquarium too, great for the little-tackers.
Just one day? « Bec’s Oxfam Challenge:
March 15th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
[...] increased in length and that’s led to some really lovely weekends. Yesterday we did the Spit Bridge to Manly walk, and last Sunday we did an amazing walk at Fortescue Bay in Tassie. Next weekend looks like it [...]
St. John's Uniting Church Wahroonga » Blog Archive » Spit Bridge to Manly, 18th June, 2011:
June 15th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
[...] travellers. There’s a great description of the walk at the NRMA Travel site and at the Short Walks site, or you can read the brodhure: Manly Scenic [...]
Amanda:
July 27th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
how long does the spit to manly take? it says 3hours on this site, but is that fast walking or a nice ‘sunday’ pace? And is that one way?
admin:
July 28th, 2011 at 11:10 am
yes, it’s about 3 hours at a leisurely pace, can definitely be done in less time. and yes, that’s one way. i usually bus to the spit then walk to manly and ferry back to city.
Barbara:
September 25th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
We are planning a group walk from Clonnys to Manly. How many km is the walk from Clonnys to manly..? and how long would you say and a good pace..?
admin:
September 26th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Hi Barbara, From Clonnys the walk is only one or two kms shorter, so around 8km. I’d give it a good two hours allowing for stops on the way.
Spit Bridge to Manly Beach Scenic Walkway | Ray's Down Under Experience:
November 28th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
[...] Sunday, I met up with Lauren Anderson in Mosman. Together we did the Spit Bridge to Manly Beach Scenic Walkway. It’s about a 10 kilometer walk (6.2 miles). We started around 9 a.m. and were done about [...]
Volker:
January 4th, 2012 at 12:26 am
Hallo,
is there a bus from “Circular Quay” to “Spit Bridge”?
Thanks
admin:
January 4th, 2012 at 8:25 am
Most of the buses to the spit bridge leave from behind Wynyard Station, for example the 169 bus.
Susan:
March 24th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
If walking from Manly to the Spit Bridge, which bus will get us back to Manly from the Spit Bridge?
Easter hiking « Timinator:
April 8th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
[...] saw me getting back to hiking, something I’ve not done for a couple of months. I did the Spit to Manly walk, one of the best-known ones around Sydney. It was a great hike, with the first third being [...]
Best Coastal Walks in Sydney:
December 18th, 2012 at 5:43 am
[...] Spit Bridge to Manly [...]