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The Australian city of Sydney in New South Wales has 2 faces. For instance, the bustling heart of the city has plenty to offer the traveller who likes to be among people, looking for great coffee shops, good restaurants and iconic attractions such as the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Sydney Tower Eye and the brand-new Sydney Modern museum. But from the city centre of Sydney, peace and nature is also never far away. We left vibrant Sydney behind for a while to do the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk. A breathtaking 10-kilometre walk, past the most idyllic beaches and breathtaking views. Travel with us and discover what you will encounter on this beautiful walk in the Sydney area.
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How do you get to the starting point?
You can travel to Spit Bridge in different ways. For instance, there are ferries, buses and taxis that can take you to the starting point of the walk. We opted for the most cheapest way and took the bus from Wynyard station that took us to Spit Bridge in half an hour. When getting off the bus, make sure you stay on the left side of the bridge. You will then walk up a staircase onto a path that goes under the bridge so you don’t have to cross the road. The start of the walk is also signposted there.
How long is this beautiful walk?
This walk takes about 3-5 hours, but this depends on your walking speed and the stops you will make. In fact, there are many beautiful spots where you can take a rest and enjoy the beautiful views.
While on the bridge you still feel the hustle and bustle of the city with the many cars going to and from the city. During the first stretch of walking you already notice that you are getting more and more into nature and it becomes quieter and quieter. Even the birds are making themselves heard more and more.
Even during the first few metres, we notice that there is plenty of wildlife to spot. Dozens of lizards look at us curiously and lie on the rocks enjoying the sunshine. The weather is great for hiking, 24 degrees with a clear blue sky. What more could we want!
The first part of the walk leads us past many bobbing boats, as well as idyllic coves. The path is a variety of flat stretches, steps and footbridges. That variety is exactly what makes this walk so beautiful, the landscape keeps changing and each time you have another great lookout because of the height differences.
During the walk you forget very soon you’re near bustling Sydney. That’s what makes Sydney so special. Nature and wildlife is always nearby. After a few kilometres, we see the coastline change more and more. The brown water changed quickly into beautiful azure water. What a paradise!
While Bondi and Coogee beaches are crowded during such summer days, these little idyllic beaches seem to be completely private. Every now and then, we see love couples enjoying these idyllic little beaches and taking a dip in the beautiful blue water. What a gift to swim here 😉.
Next to the many little beaches, the number of lizards is also steadily increasing. From the rocks, we are stared at from different angles by beautiful lizards. They are different species.
We even see a beautiful Blue Tongued Skink (see photo below). See keep your eyes open when walking, as you can walk past them very quickly and that would be a shame.
The nice thing about walking during this season is that nature is very beautiful. As summer is just starting, all kinds of plants are in bloom, adding colour to the landscape and the photos.
Halfway through the walk, you find out how far or rather how close to the city you actually are. The Sydney skyline shines above the idyllic ‘houses’ of northern Sydney. What a nice contrast to see!
As we get closer to Manly, we also see the coastline changing again. While at first we were still walking along idyllic beaches and coves, the landscape now seems a bit more rough. The rough coast even reminds me a little of Ireland.
The beauty of this walk is the diversity of nature. You keep seeing different plants and trees and also see the most unusual insects, such as these colourful beetles also known as the Eupoecila australasiae. See photos below.
During the last part of the walk, we get closer and closer to Manly. We see more and more bobbing sailboats, and we also see more houses on the other side. Although Manly itself is a real tourist spot, the outlying areas seem to have a quieter character and there are even idyllic beaches to be found.
We still had 1.5 kilometres ahead to reach Manly harbour, but we treat ourself with another break, because it’s just too beautiful here.
On the left we see fishermen waiting to finally have a bite, and on the right we see people enjoying a dip in the water. In front of us we see those cute sailing boats moving along on the water. How nice it is to live in Australia!
This is what we think of the Spit Bridge to Manly Walk
The Spit Bridge to Manly walk is a fascinating walk from start to finish. The variation in nature, coastline and wildlife makes it an interesting walk which is fun for old and young people. The paths are very good, which makes it very walkable. We do recommend doing this walk in dry weather. The views are a lot nicer then and the paths are not slippery.
Lunch in Manly
After this long walk, our stomachs did start to grumble, but fortunately you can find plenty of nice pubs and restaurants in Manly. We ended this morning with a nice cold beer and burger with fries. And a view of Manly’s main street.
While we got there by bus, from Manly we were able to catch the ferry towards Circular Quay. So we were back downtown Sydney in no time.
