Bondi to Manly - Part 6 - Spit to Manly
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Route: Spit Bridge, Fisher Bay, Bradys Point, Sandy Bay, Clontarf Beach, Clontarf Marina, Clontarf Point, Castle Rock Beach, Lighthouse Track, Grotto Point, Stone art site, Crater Cove Lookout, Dobroyd Head Lookout, Reef Beach, Forty Baskets Beach, North Harbour Walk, North Habour Reserve, Fairlight Walk, Fairlight Beach, Federation Point, Manly Cove
Date: 29/02/2020
From: Spit Bridge
Parking: N/A
Start Point: Spit Bridge
Finish Point: Manly Wharf
Region: Sydney
Route length: 6.5 miles (10.4km)
Time taken: 03:57
Average speed: 1.8mph
Ascent: 234m
Descent: 219m
Points of Interest: Fisher Bay, Clontarf. Grotto Point, Stone art, Crater Cove, Dobroyd Head, North Harbour
Bondi and Manly are arguably Sydney's two most famous beaches. While they are only 10km apart, they sit on either side of the vast entrance to Sydney Harbour. When I arrived in Australia, I harboured an ambition to hike the length of the Sydney Harbour foreshore and the introduction of the Bondi to Manly walking track has facilitated just that.
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| The Bondi to Manly logo features the Aboriginal depiction of a whale |
The overall length of the Bondi to Manly track is 80km and while it has always been possible to walk the route, it has now become formalised with signage and a supporting app. Thanks to the extensive public transport network in Sydney it is possible to break up the route into manageable one-way sections. This is the penultimate leg and one of the most spectacular.
The Spit Bridge to Manly Walk is the most well-known section of the Manly Scenic Walkway and is one of the most popular walks in the Sydney area - if not the world. According to Tripadvisor, it ranks among the top 10% of all listings on Tripadvisor globally. Its appeal lies in its beauty as it passes through Sydney Harbour National Park, bushland reserves, Aboriginal carvings and amazing viewpoints.
Getting to Spit first requires a train and then a bus, disembarking at Spit Bridge. The lifting bridge, built in 1958, is a vital link across Middle Harbour. It opens are timed intervals during the day, causing frequent traffic jams, of which we were a part of as we approached the bus stop.
The first bridge at The Spit was a wooden structure built in 1924. Prior to this, a local farmer by the name of Peter Ellery had a rowing boat to ferry passengers across the water by request. A small park now bears his name.
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| The old Spit punt |
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| The 1920s Spit Bridge |
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| Crossing the modern-day Spit Bridge |
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| Middle Harbour |
We crossed the bridge and followed a set of steps down, below the abutments to the shoreline of Middle Harbour. Here begins the Spit-Manly Track - one of the most popular hikes in Sydney. The Spit Bridge to Manly Track is the most well-known section of the Manly Scenic Walkway, opened in 1988.
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| Spit Bridge |
The foreshore path leads through Ellery's Punt Reserve and around the lush fringes of Fisher Bay, passing some old water pipes which used to feed the steam trams which ran around this area. The path leads to Bradley's Point and the idyllic Sandy Bay.
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| Fisher Bay |
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| Fisher Bay |
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| Fisher Bay |
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| An Indigenous cave shelter at Fisher Bay |
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| Spit Bridge and Middle Harbour |
A concrete walkway makes its way along the shore at Sandy Bay, heading into Clontarf Reserve which gets its name from the coastal suburb in Dublin. On 12th March 1868, Clontarf became infamous as the site of Australia’s first assassination attempt.
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| Sandy Bay |
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| Sandy Bay |
On that day Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria, was guest of honour at a sailor’s picnic at Clontarf. Irishman Henry James O’Farrell jumped out of the crowd of picnickers, shooting the Duke in the back.
As luck would have it, the Duke’s rubber suspenders deflected the bullet, sparing him major injury. Guilty, O’Farrell was hanged a month later, despite the Duke seeking clemency on his behalf. After the assassination attempt, citizens donated money for a “substantial monument in testimony of the heartfelt gratitude of the community at the recovery of HRH”. Hence the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west was built in 1882.
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| Clontarf Beach |
Clontarf Beach sweeps around to the south-east and, being high tide, we needed to wade through the low surf to reach the far end of the beach at Clontarf Point. Here, the walk takes on a new character as it enters a superb area of preserved bushland, leading to Castle Rock Beach. The beach is named after the large, free-standing boulder which lies on the sand - some say it looks like a castle, using a bit of imagination.
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| Clontarf Beach |
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| Clontarf Beach |
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| Clontarf Point |
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| Clontarf Point |
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| Middle Harbour |
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| The Clontarf Track |
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| Beaches of Clontarf |
Castle Beach and a large proportion of the rest of the walk are located in the Sydney Harbour National Park. Shortly after Castle Beach is the optional detour to Grotto Point Lighthouse. It involves a 1km tramp through some rugged bush to the end of the Grotto Point peninsula.
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| Canoers in Middle Harbour |
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| Sydney Harbour National Park |
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| Sydney Harbour National Park |
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| South Head and Middle Head |
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| Balmoral |
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| Grotto Point |
There is a small rock ledge that gives a sweeping view of the harbour. You'll also find the Grotto Point Lighthouse, built in 1911. The lighthouse still operates today and is a key navigational aid for ships arriving in Sydney. When the lights align with the similar-looking Parriwi Head Lighthouse, 1.6kms away, ships know they are in the channel that will bring them safely into Sydney Harbour.
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| Grotto Point Lighthouse |
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| The three Sydney Heads |
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| Middle Head from Grotto Point |
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| Returning back to the main track |
With the Grotto Point detour complete, we returned to the main track which winds through the bush, eventually climbing some steep stone steps as it leads towards Dobroyd Head. At the top of the steps is an open area, just off the path, which is home to some of Sydney's most accessible Aboriginal engravings.
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| Engravings site |
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| Stone art |
Large timber frames are built around each engraving to prevent people from walking on them but none are fenced off. This site is in a typical rock engraving location: an elevated flat sandstone outcrop, similar to a large engraving site at Jibbon in Royal National Park.
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| Kangaroo engraving |
The Grotto Point engravings include boomerangs, fish, sharks, a large kangaroo and a fairy penguin. Aboriginal people follow an oral tradition where knowledge is passed down through storytelling. The engravings on this rock ledge link the Gai-mariagal people to their Creation – timeless Aboriginal mythology and spirituality. The engravings are thought to be about 1,000 years old and were originally made through connecting a series of holes made by the sharp corner of quartz tools or similar hard rocks.
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| Fish engravings |
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| Fish in detail |
Leaving the engravings behind, we continued on towards the high point of Dobroyd Head where the landscape changes once again. The tall trees subside, replaced with an expanse of Banksia plants, a common feature of the coastal landscape in New South Wales. The wide path leads to a rock ledge and the lookout overlooking the dramatic Crater Cove.
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| Middle Head |
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| Stone art site |
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| Middle Head and the distant Camp Cove and ROse Bay |
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| Bush atop Dobroyd Head |
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| Dobroyd Head and North Head |
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| Smedley's Point |
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| Crater Cove |
From here is a superb view of the principal Sydney headlands; North Head, South Head (with the distinctive red and white stripes of Hornby Lighthouse), and Middle Head jutting in front of the distant city skyline. During the last ice age, sea levels were 100 metres lower than today, making the coastline several kilometres east of where they are now. Sydney Harbour was once a tree-lined gorge, much like those found in the Blue Mountains.
Tucked into the cliffs to the left of the cove are a curious set of small cabins. The first cabin was built in 1923 by fishermen using driftwood washed into the cove. From there, more sturdy dwellings were constructed of stone cut from the site and corrugated iron carried through the bush. Numerous shack settlements were built around Sydney at this time, most popular during the Depression when people left the city for a rent-free life of fishing and hunting. These, and the cabin communities in Royal National Park, are the only remaining examples.
The path continues to the lookout at Dobroyd Head which has another majestic view of the entrance to Sydney Harbour before the path descends towards the cliffs and the shore, reaching Reef Beach as it approaches North Harbour.
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| Dobroyd Head |
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| Crater Cove |
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| South Head |
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| North Head and Dobroyd Head |
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| Manly |
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| Dobroyd Head |
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| Reef Beach Track |
Reef Beach is a declared Aboriginal Place of the Gai-mariagal people, protected by NSW law in recognition that Aboriginal sites and places are culturally significant. An overgrown midden can be found if you know what you are looking for.
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| Reef Beach |
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| North Harbour and Manly |
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| Forty Baskets Beach |
With the arrival of the first fleet, Governor Phillip had orders from the British King to “endeavour by every possible means to open an Intercourse with the Natives and to conciliate their affections”. The Eora, however, stayed away from the new Sydney Town. So Phillip decided to kidnap someone to act as a cultural go-between.
It was here in present-day North Harbour that Captain Phillip had encountered the “manly behaviour” of local Aboriginal men, so it was here that Phillip decided to target (the name Manly stuck).
Local tribesman Arabanoo’s capture was distressing, however, when his manacles were removed months later, he stayed to share his people’s language and customs.
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| Arabanoo |
A few months later, Arabanoo was dead; killed by smallpox. He was one of an estimated 2000 Aboriginal people killed by the 1879 epidemic. With no immunity against European disease, half of Sydney’s Aboriginal population were wiped out within 15 months of the First Fleet’s arrival.
The path around North Harbour is dependant on the tides of your willingness to get wet. Being a warm day, we opted for the latter, wading through the shallows to reach the North Harbour Reserve. After the shortest of diversions along the streets, the track returns to the shore, reaching Fairlight Beach and pool.
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| Add caption |
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| Wellings Reserve |
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| Coastline at Wellings Reserve |
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| North Harbour |
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| Clarence Street crosses above the stream entering North Harbour |
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| North Harbour |
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| A wade through the shallows (there is an alternative route if you prefer not tp get your feet wet). |
This is one of the remnants of Manly's early history as a resort. A retired English merchant, Henry Gilbert Smith, is responsible for Manly’s emergence as we know it today. In the 1850s, Smith envisioned his considerable land-holdings being developed as an English-style seaside resort town.
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| Fairlight Walk |
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| The entrance to North Harbour |
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| Fairlight rockpool and beach |
To attract Sydneysiders, he began the first ferry service from town and built the Pier Hotel opposite the wharf. Residential blocks sold slowly while Smith developed infrastructure. He donated land for parks, schools, churches, a school of arts and a police station.
The sandstone fence is all that remains of a beautiful two-storey 1850s Georgian mansion built by Smith as his family’s residence. The huge Norfolk Island Pines which line the path were planted by the succeeding owner.
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| Federation Point looking across Manly Cove |
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| Manly Cove Beach |
We followed the path a short distance to the ferry wharf at Manly Cove to conclude the penultimate leg of the Bondi to Manly Track. Manly has a long-standing reputation as a tourist destination, owing to its attractive setting on the Pacific Ocean and easy accessibility by ferry. The relaxed lifestyle, beaches and proximity to Sydney city have led to Manly's real estate prices being amongst the highest in Australia.
We stopped for a drink at one of the many Manly bars before venturing along the Corso to sit by the sea and indulge in a bit of people-watching while we waited for the next ferry back to Sydney.
The final leg of the Bondi to Manly hike crosses North Head to the dramatic Fairfax Lookout. Complete your journey here.
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| Sydney Opera House |
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| Sydney Opera House |
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