A tour of the Spit Bridge to Manly Coastal Walk, located on the Sydney Northern Beaches. This is one of the best walks in Sydney. The Spit to Manly walk is approximately 10kms one way. You can expect to take 3-4 hours for the walk, depending on your pace and any rest stops along the way.
Our entry point to the track is underneath the Spit Bridge in Ellery’s Punt Reserve. One thing that I wasn’t anticipating before going on this adventure were the number of stairs. The entire 10kms is up and down stairs. It’s not necessarily strenuous if you take your time, but keep this in mind if you are considering taking children or have difficulties with stairs.
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For a side-trip it is worth strongly investigating the Crater Cove huts. While I visited the huts on a separate trip, and spent an hour or two taking my time, if you are only in Sydney for a limited time and don’t plan to come back to this area, the track for the huts runs directly off the Spit to Manly Coastal Track and budgeting for an hour extra would provide you with enough time for a quick look. Be sure to read our article and watch the video on the Secret Huts of Crater Cove, as they are very special and a time capsule like no other.
Water views are available at almost every point along the trail, just what you want from one of the best walks in Sydney. Along with the boats that you will see in the water, the harbour-facing real estate that you will come across is some of the most expensive property in the country. There is something for everyone on this walk.
Along with various wildlife, there are many interesting locations to be seen including:
- Shell Cove
- Sandy Bay
- Clontarf Marina
- Clontarf Beach
- Castle Rock
- Grotto Point
- Dobroyd Head
- Crater Cove
- Reef Bay
- Forty Baskets Beach
- North Harbour Reserve
- Fairlight Beach
- Delwood Beach
- Manly Cove.
The next time that I go on this walk I will strongly consider making a full day out of it. Bring along swimming clothes and plenty of food, drinks and snacks. I can imagine this as a fabulous all-day-epic adventure where you could take a swim at a beach or cove, have a snack and then walk to the next swimming location. Then just do it a dozen times!
It is simply one of the best walks in Sydney and you will be hard-pressed finding a single person who wouldn’t rate this as one of their favourite walks. They are big claims, but this walk is simply awesome.
Spit Bridge to Manly Coastal Walk – Other Adventures Nearby
Once finishing up at Manly there is also the opportunity to walk to the northern end of Manly Beach, which is then known as Queenscliff Beach, where you can check out the Wormhole, also known as the Queenscliff Tunnel.
Spit Bridge to Manly Coastal Walk – Getting There
There are multiple bus stops located within walking distance of the reserve. Once you finish your walk at Manly, it is easy to find a bus to take you back to the Spit Bridge. Of course you could do this walk in the other direction too, however finishing at Manly Ferry provides many different options for food along the Manly Corso and Manly Beach. If you need to get back to the Spit Bridge start point there are many regular bus services that run from Manly to the Spit.
View our big list of walks, to check out our other adventure options.
Gear used:
- Camera: https://amzn.to/2YU36Zu
- Awesome value camera mount kits: https://amzn.to/2LFJF34
