Manly Suburb Review

Beachfront beauty requires big bucks.

Summary: The flagship suburb of the Northern Beaches, Manly is set on a physically striking slice of headland that is renowned for the quality and variety of its lovely beaches. It boasts an airy, open feel that’s far more “tropical” than the core areas of Sydney further south, and has become a magnet for tourists and expats alike due to its bevy of dining and drinking options. Distance from the Sydney CBD and eye-watering property prices hamper its viability somewhat, and thus it largely remains “a nice place to visit” rather than to live for those without very deep pockets.

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Manly serves as most people’s first gateway to the drastically different vibe of the Northern Beaches region, and it’s not hard to see why it’s become a must-visit on most people’s Sydney itineraries.

Dotted with palm trees and featuring a pleasant and upbeat main thoroughfare, there’s plenty here to draw in visitors for a day trip. Manly’s main promenade is a wide thoroughfare with a very “beachy” (and pretty tourist-y) feel that’s highly reminiscent of Queensland’s famed suburb of Surfers Paradise, although at least approximately 30% classier.

Hopping off the ferry here for some exploration is a pleasant endeavour (except for battling the crowds), and opens up plenty of opportunity for entertainment of various kinds. Chief among these for most is obviously going to be its beaches, with each of its main stretches of sand both easily accessible and offering a different aspect.

Its namesake Manly Beach is about the closest thing to Bondi one could get on the North Shore, and offers countless dining and shopping options just across the road; Shelly Beach requires a bit of a walk around the headland but has great marine life for snorkellers and divers; Freshwater Beach is one of the original homes of Australian surfing; and even little East Manly Cove Beach will do in a pinch for a dip for those not wanting to stray too far.

As a result, it’s an excellent choice of suburb for each of surfers, cashed up retirees with boating aspirations, and those who place a priority on aquatic activities in general. There’s a range of great walks, including everything from shorter strolls like the aforementioned headland ideal for picnics on its various patches of grass along the way or down alongside the water, all the way up to the epic multi-hour Spit Bridge walk which ranks as one of Sydney’s best active days out.

A different demographic to the city

Manly has become a favourite of expats and retirees, and demographic-wise the suburb leans highly white-European; British expats in particular who have come from the homeland for an entirely different environment seem to love Manly.

Of course, this also means that it’s extremely tourist-heavy, with its dizzying array of restaurants, cafes, bars and retail outlets highly reliant on visitor money for their operations – this is largely limited to its central promenade and surrounds, however.

Food and drink-wise, you’ll be spoiled for choice in Manly with a huge range of options to choose from – however its tourist leanings means you’ll often have to pay a little extra for the privilege.

Manly Money, Manly Problems

And it’s here we come to Manly’s primary downside: price.

Its popularity makes it an expensive suburb to rent despite its relative abundance of apartments and distance from the centre of Sydney; apartment rental prices hover around an average of $700 per week on the lower-end, and house purchase-wise, don’t expect to get in the market for anything decent and standalone for under $2.5 million unless you’re settling for an old and small duplex or the like.

Manly offers a gorgeous lifestyle – for a price

Its distance from the city is also a major con, as Manly’s out-of-the-way location means it’s often hard to get friends from the city to visit, with both road-based public transport and car traffic getting out to Manly trending towards the “terrible” end of the spectrum.

Sure, its dedicated high-speed ferries make for easier access to Circular Quay that other suburb’s don’t have access to with a journey time of around 20 minutes depending on the conditions, but these are far more costly than standard ferries. Plus, while the prospect of commuting to the city via ferry may be an appealing prospect in theory on nice, calm and sunny days, throw in a bit of swell and drizzle and the atmosphere quickly changes.

“Dotted with palm trees and featuring a pleasant and upbeat main thoroughfare, there’s plenty here to draw in visitors for a day trip.”

Manly, much like the Northern Beaches in general, is largely safe and has a low crime rate other than the occasional drunken incident around its nightlife areas. It’s got multiple quality schools to choose from for families, and in terms of pet-friendliness there’s not a single slice of the suburb that’s not within earshot of a park or waterfront walk on which to stretch the dog.

The Verdict

Overall, Manly then becomes both highly recommended for certain subsets of people and a “probably avoid” for quite a few others. Manly is a lovely part of the country and offers a wonderful lifestyle, but you’re paying dearly for the privilege of this beauty and a little of the suburb’s “brand name” in return for quite a lack of connectivity and traffic issues.

A professional who’s making decent money and can work on the Northern Beaches? An international on a temporary visa who loves the beach and can rent a room rather than an entire apartment? Or a well-heeled retiree who wants to escape from the rush of central Sydney and enjoy some beachfront? Manly will likely offer everything you’re after, and more.

For the mid-level worker who’s going to be commuting to the city on a daily routine, or the average family who needs space for multiple kids, however, Manly will likely remain on a “weekend day trip” basis. Regardless, make sure you make the time to visit here at least once, as it’s truly a gorgeous place.