Manly Beach is a well-known beach situated in Sydney's Northern Beaches, Australia. From north to south, the three main sections are Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne.
Within a short walk of Manly Beach along the oceanway is Fairy Bower and Shelley Beach. There are many shops, famous restaurants, night clubs, and dive bars in town; locals people called "corso". Many young people live in Manly and prefer to commute by ferry into the city, which only takes about half hour to the city. Manly beach also adjacent to Sydney Harbour National Park, Fairy Bower is one of the few large wave surfing spots in Sydney and produces a long right hand wave breaking over a reef. Shelly Beach (and the surrounding Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve) is a popular for scuba diving and is the only beach on Australia's east coast which faces inland.
The beach was named by Capt. Arthur Phillip for the indigenous people living there. He wrote about them, "Their confidence and manly behaviour made me give the name of Manly Cove to this place".
Manly Beach is highly popular with tourists and locals alike; a popularity rivaled only by the famous Bondi Beach south of the harbour. Manly Council Lifeguards operate a year-round service at South Steyne, and operate from October to April at North Steyne and Queenscliff. Volunteer Life Savers also patrol on weekends and public holiday between October and May.
This beach has long been a fascination for poets (most notably Bruce Beaver), artists and photographers.
Travelling to Manly from Sydney's main ferry terminal, Circular Quay, takes 30 minutes by ferry. The Corso, a pedestrian plaza and one of Manly's main streets for shopping and dining, runs from the ferry wharf and harbour beach all the way across the peninsula to Manly Beach, where it marks the boundary between North Steyne and South Steyne.