Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( dawn-dusk)
A hidden jewel on North Head, magical Store Beach can only be reached by
kayak or boat. It's a fairy-penguin breeding ground, so access is prohibited from dusk,
when the birds waddle in.
MANLY COVE
( Manly)
Split in two by Manly Wharf, this sheltered enclave has shark nets and calm
water, making it a popular choice for families with toddlers. Despite the busy location, the
clear waters have plenty of appeal.
BEACH
FAIRY BOWER BEACH
(Bower Lane; 135)
Indulge your mermaid fantasies (the more seemly ones at least) in this
pretty triangular ocean pool set into the rocky shoreline. The life-size sea nymphs of
Helen Leete's bronze sculpture
Oceanides
(1997) stand on the edge, washed by the surf.
Fairy Bower is best reached by the promenade heading around Manly Beach's south head-
land.
BEACH
OCEANWORLD
( 8251 7877;
www.oceanworld.com.au
; West Esplanade; adult/child/family $20/10/48; 10am-5.30pm, last ad-
mission 4.45pm; Manly)
This ain't the place to come if you're on your way to Manly Beach
for a surf. Inside this daggy-looking 1980s building are underwater glass tubes through
which you become alarmingly intimate with 3m sharks. Reckon they're not hungry?
Shark Dive Xtreme
( 8251 7878; introductory/certified dives $270/195)
takes you into their
world… Crocodiles and large turtles also put in an appearance.
AQUARIUM
On weekends and school holidays, kids aged five to 13 can snorkel around a tropical
reef ($75 including entry).
GALLERY, MUSEUM
MANLY ART GALLERY & MUSEUM
from Manly Wharf is this passionately managed community gallery, maintaining a local
focus with exhibits of surfcraft, camp swimwear and beachy bits-and-pieces. There's also
a ceramics gallery, and lots of old Manly photos to peer at.
