Manly is my favourite Sydney beach. In the past, it was the idyllic beach holiday experience for generations of rural Australians, now it’s an exclusive suburb of Sydney but still a favourite place for Sydneysiders to visit.
Every Sunday, people come in from the suburbs to Circular Quay and take a 40 minute ferry ride and cross the harbour to Manly. The older generation can usually be seen eating their fish and chips on benches along the waterfront while others prefer to lunch at one of the many restaurants and pubs.
It was one of the first places in Australia to get a name. Soon after his arrival in Sydney Harbour in 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip began exploring the harbour in search of fresh water.
Passing near Manly, a group of unarmed Aboriginal men waded into the water to greet Phillip's small boats. Impressed with their stature and bearing, Phillip is recorded describing them as 'manly', and the name stuck.
I took these photos at the beginning of Spring when everyone was still a lighter shade of pale, coming out of our winter.
Wish I had a local beach that looked like that!
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