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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).…
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Date of experience: October 2020
8 Helpful votes
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North Head is Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub (ESBS), which is a nationally and state-listed Endangered Ecological scrub. Because this land was first set up as a Quarantine Station to protect Sydney from the Spanish Flu in 1919, and later just before the onset of WW11, then became a military stronghold to protect and ward off the enemy. What is left is amazing remnant bush, these two factors have saved this part of North Head as a isolated beauty, just up the road from Manly.…
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Date of experience: June 2020
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We haven’t been to North Head for a bush walk in over 10years. You just forget how breathtakingly beautiful this part of Sydney is. We bush walked for 3 hours. Time just flew. Felt so relaxed.
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Date of experience: May 2020
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Go on a clear day and you get treated to a lovely view of the harbour with the city in the background. I've also been on cloudy days and the view is disappointing. I've never been in whale season (winter) so don't see much attraction on the ocean side of the headland. Sadly, most viewing areas are barricaded off too. Parking is $5 regardless of time spent there, but if you don't want to pay, just pull up in the carpark, enjoy the city view for 5 minutes and then leave. You'll have seen 95% of the attraction.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
1 Helpful vote
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Like everyone, caught the ferry to Manley and then did the scenic walk. There is however a great little visitor centre at the North Head which also does a tour of the gun placements as well as being helpful about the history of the North Head
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Date of experience: February 2020
1 Helpful vote
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