Top Things to do in Northern Beaches
Top Hotels in Northern Beaches
- 1. Travelodge Hotel Manly Warringah Sydney
- 2. Manly Pacific
- 3. Quest Manly
- 4. The Sebel Manly Beach
- 5. Manly Paradise Motel & Apartments
- 6. Q Station Sydney Harbour National Park Hotel
- 7. NRMA Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park
- 8. Miramare Gardens
- 9. Checkers Resort & Conference Centre
- 10. The Outback Lodge
The 10 Best Things to do in Northern Beaches, New South Wales
Discover the best top things to do in Northern Beaches, Australia including Shelly Beach, Manly Quarantine Station, Avalon Beach, Mona Vale Beach, North Head Sanctuary, North Head, Little Manly Beach, 4 Pines Brookvale Truck Bar, Manly Spirits Co. Distillery, Westfield Warringah Mall.
Restaurants in Northern Beaches
1. Shelly Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,490 reviews
Reviewed By Breadleg - Foster City, United States
A nice walk through the bush and along the cliffs from Manly Bay to Shelly Beach with lots of great outlooks along the way. Some areas require stabile footing due to rocks. Glad we wore trail running shoes. And we did this all in torrential rains. Still loved it.
2. Manly Quarantine Station
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 353 reviews
Reviewed By AniaTur - Sydney, Australia
I LOVE the Q Station! Walking around it literally feels like travelling in time. You can feel a vibe, a presence - it is quite different from any place I have been to. And IT IS HAUNTED! ;) I had a pleasure of participating in an amazing ghost tour: I learnt a lot about the history of the station - VERY interesting - and I got chills hearing stories about ghost appearances and residual energy imprint haunting in different locations across the Q Station. Walking around such an unusual place in the dark and with just a few lanterns is scary enough but doing so with a black ghost lady as a guide is definitely the next level! And I am pretty sure I saw something in the showers that wasn't supposed to be there! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for anyone looking for more excitement in their lives! By the way, they also great run history tours for those who prefer stay away from the paranormal ;)
3. Avalon Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 114 reviews
Reviewed By MeredithAussie - Cannes, France
This is a beautiful beach with surf and golden sand. It is patrolled by surf-lifesavers, so it's best to swim between the flags OR in the excellent ocean baths on the southern end of the beach. Council has also provided a shower/tap for rinsing salt and sand off before you go home. There are plenty of seats (in both sun and shade) and a grassy area and children's playground. Just one block back from the beach are restaurants, cafes and other shops (with parking available).
4. Mona Vale Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 83 reviews
Reviewed By JElliot32 - New South Wales, Australia
Mona Vale may not be the most picturesque of the Northern Beaches but it makes up for this in lots of other ways. It offers something for everyone: families, swimmers, surfers, walkers, even beach fishermen. There is a good-sized carpark though parking is very expensive if you are not a local. It is a long beach, so in post-Covid times could be ideal for social distancing! Mona Vale is good for long walks, as for a large part of its length the local golf course backs onto it, giving it a bit more of a 'bushland' appearance, and at low tide it is easy to walk around the rock platform at the southern end and then walk the length of Warriewood Beach, and back again. At the northern end of the beach there is another extensive rock platform out of which a large ocean pool has been excavated. This is popular with swimmers as can be the small sheltered beach beyond the northern platform, which is called The Basin.
5. North Head Sanctuary
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 271 reviews
Reviewed By sydneysider48 - Sydney, Australia
North Head offers some great walks through bushland, all well graded and signposted, with terrific views across the harbour to the southern suburbs and the city and out through the Heads to sea.
6. North Head
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 387 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
North Head is a national park area, sitting high above Manly and Shelly beaches. You can easily combine Manly Beach and North Head in a a day trip and you get the best of Australian sand, surf and bushland. Highlights at North Head include bushland walking trails, whale-watching sites, native wildlife, panoramic views of the harbour, military relics and the old historic quarantine centre. It is free to enter. You can walk from Manly Beach up to North Head but it’s steep and you need to allow about an hour. I’ve not done this yet but, I’d like to go back and do it another time. Instead we drove to North Head and did a few of the bush walking trails around the headland. If you have 1 – 2 hours, you will easily have time for more than one walking trail. They are well sign-posted although I’d recommend stopping by the Information Centre first and picking up a free map or guide. They are pretty helpful in there. The Fairfax Trail is the best one for panoramic views and whale-watching. It only takes 30 minutes. The Memorial Walk is the best one for seeing native bushland. It has beautiful native wildflowers (acacia, banksia, boronia, wattle). Depending on how much noise you make and whether you thud your way through the bush, you may also see native wildlife like kookaburras or the normally shy echidna. I found the Memorial Walk to be very moving. The red brick pavers are engraved with the names of those who served in different wars and there is excellent historical information, set in sandstone blocks with old photos. The Bella Vista Café is a nice spot to finish. The outdoor seating has wonderful harbour views. We finished here. GETTING THERE: From the Manly ferry wharf, catch the 135 bus (stand C) which will take you right into the North Head sanctuary, stopping by the visitor centre and Bella Vista cafe. Bus 135 is pre-pay only so you will need an Opal card, otherwise you will be stuck. If driving, It is only a flat $5 parking fee for the day (must be the most reasonable parking fee in Sydney).
7. Little Manly Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 80 reviews
Reviewed By JElliot32 - New South Wales, Australia
Little Manly Beach is one of the 'other', less well-known beaches in Manly. Unfortunately, can't say it is unknown or even overlooked, as it can be popular, especially on with families on weekends and during school holidays. It is a harbour beach that offers lovely clean water and sand, safe swimming (the water is shallow, there are no waves and part of the beach is enclosed). There are lawns to sit on as well as the beach itself, as well as an excellent kiosk. Parking is tricky, but then the Manly ferry terminal is less than a km away.
8. 4 Pines Brookvale Truck Bar
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22 reviews
This iconic 4 Pines venue is where the machinations of brewing meets the experience of drinking. 4 Pines Truck Bar is built inside our main brewery giving the customer the unique experience of drinking our award-winning beer in the very place it is conceived and brewed. The bar is built of and around an old Dodge Truck and showcases 21 taps, including all our core range beers as well as rotating taps showcasing the large variety of small batch ‘Keller Door’ beers our brewery team produce. With a Food Truck on site serving delicious Burgers, Pulled Pork and spicy Chicken Wings and Growlers and cases of beer available for takeaway Truck Bar is the perfect place to taste the freshest 4 Pines beer, indulge in a decadent burger and see how the entire beer operation runs first hand. How good is that?
Reviewed By natureboyt - Atherton, Australia
Very friendly, EXcellent Beer, fantastic chips and food! This place is so out of the ordinary, and your view inside IS THE BREWERY!. Cozy little place I recommend to any local or traveler.
9. Manly Spirits Co. Distillery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 29 reviews
Drop in and see how Gin, Whisky and Liqueur are crafted at the internationally award winning Manly Spirits Co. Distillery. Enjoy a spirits flight in the distillery tasting bar or a finally crafted cocktail with friends amongst the maturing whisky barrels. Book into one of the Distillery experiences like the 1.5hr behind-the-scenes distillery tour & tasting to learn about Australian craft distillation and artisan spirits. Tour/ tasting includes an overview of the whisky, gin and botanical vodka production processes, viewing the beautifully engineered copper pot stills, touch, smell and explore the Australian botanical pantry & tasting flight of three spirits.
Reviewed By S9499VLclaudem - Greater Sydney, Australia
The Gin Making class led by Tom was great fun, very well run, and great value. A gin upon arrival provided as part of the class and then during the class another Gin Cocktail and food platter were all complimentary part of the class. All this as well as a well structured class, excellent access to everything you need to make, enhance and personalise your very own Gin and a knowledgeable instructor that helped us make and bottle our own 700ml bottles of GIN to take home.
10. Westfield Warringah Mall
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 52 reviews
Westfield Warringah Mall in Brookvale is an iconic retail destination with the latest from leading fashion, lifestyle and beauty brands. Home to all your favourite retailers in clothing, beauty, fresh produce, electronics, homewares and sports and fitness, Westfield Warringah has your style and living needs covered.
Reviewed By bucketlisttravellers - Sydney, Australia
This is the largest shopping complex on the Northern Beaches. It has been recently upgraded and has a good range of shops and eateries as well as a cinema complex, library, medical centre and gym. There is 3 hours free parking and plenty of buses.
