Winding for around ten kilometres along the northern shore of Sydney Harbour, the Manly to Spit Bridge Coastal Walk is one of the city's best-loved bushwalks, linking the seaside suburb of Manly with the Spit Bridge at Mosman. The track threads between pockets of bushland, secluded harbour beaches and clifftop lookouts, offering a sequence of changing views across the water to the city skyline, the heads and the boats that crowd the harbour. Along the way walkers pass quiet coves such as Forty Baskets and Clontarf, stands of angophora and eucalypt forest, and patches of remnant bush that hide Aboriginal rock engravings, including a well-known site at Grotto Point that records the long Aboriginal presence on the harbour. Interpretive signs explain the natural and cultural history, and side tracks lead to lighthouses, beaches and reserves that invite detours along the route. The walk is generally done from Spit Bridge to Manly so that it finishes near the ferry, and while it is mostly straightforward it includes some steps, rocky sections and stretches exposed to the sun, so walkers are advised to carry water and allow three to four hours. The reward is a route that feels remarkably wild for somewhere so close to the centre of a major city, with bush, beaches and water rarely out of sight. Public transport at both ends, a bus to the Spit and a ferry from Manly, makes the one-way walk easy to plan without a car, and many people break the journey with a swim at one of the beaches along the way. Popular year round, it is busiest on fine weekends, and spring brings wildflowers to the heathland sections. For visitors wanting to experience Sydney's harbour landscape on foot rather than from the water, it is among the finest walks the city has to offer. Sections of the track form part of the longer Manly Scenic Walkway, and the route can be shortened by joining or leaving at points such as Clontarf or the Spit, making it adaptable to different levels of fitness and time. Sturdy shoes are recommended for the rocky stretches, and the lack of shops along much of the way means carrying food and water is wise. The constantly shifting outlook over the harbour is the walk's lasting reward.

Type: Outdoors

Address: Sydney, Australia