Spit Bridge to Manly Walk

If Bondi to Coogee is Sydney's famous coastal walk, the Spit Bridge to Manly walk is the one locals quietly rate higher. It covers about ten kilometres one way along the northern shore of Middle Harbour and North Harbour, and for long stretches you would not know you were in a city of five million people: the track weaves through sandstone bushland, drops down to small sandy beaches and climbs to headlands with views straight across the harbour to the Heads. Grade 3 on the national parks scale, it suits most reasonably fit walkers, but it is a proper half-day outing, with stairs, sand, rocky sections and boardwalk, and it takes three and a half to five hours with stops. The highlights come in a steady rhythm. Clontarf Reserve, early on, is the natural rest stop with toilets, a cafe and a netted swimming area. Castle Rock Beach is a small, secluded cove. Grotto Point has Aboriginal rock engravings believed to be over 1,000 years old, including an engraved boomerang and animal figures, and an optional detour to a little lighthouse. Dobroyd Head gives you the first full view of Manly, and Crater Cove hides a cluster of old fishermen's huts below the cliffs. Then come Forty Baskets Beach, with a harbour pool and a swing the kids love, and Fairlight's rock pool, before you walk into Manly along the harbour front. The finish is the point: a swim at Manly, a cold drink on the Corso, and the ferry back to Circular Quay, which turns a long walk into one of the great days out in Sydney.

The land the track crosses is Gayamaygal Country, and the engravings at Grotto Point and the rock shelters around Clontarf are reminders that this foreshore was home long before the colony. Much of the route runs through Sydney Harbour National Park, which is why dogs are not allowed on those sections; if you are walking with a dog, the official advice is to cut through residential streets at Castle Rock and rejoin the track at Forty Baskets Beach. The bushland is thick with banksias, angophoras and spring wildflowers, and you are likely to see water dragons sunning on the rocks and plenty of birdlife.

Doing it well: walk from the Spit towards Manly so that the views build and you finish at the beaches and the ferry. The track starts at Ellery's Punt Reserve under the eastern end of the Spit Bridge; there are toilets and a cafe on the southern side of the bridge, and many city buses stop near it. Check the tide before you leave, because some coastal sections near Clontarf are impassable at high tide; there is a signposted diversion via Monash Crescent, and a paved alternative near Fairlight. Carry plenty of water and a hat, since the exposed headlands get hot, and pack swimmers for Clontarf, Forty Baskets or a final dip at Manly. Washaway Beach can be unsafe for swimming, so save your swim for the netted areas and the pools.

Practicals and fit: the walk is free, but it is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs, and parking in Manly is expensive and hard to find for a full day, so use public transport at both ends. Start in the morning to avoid the midday heat in summer. It is best for active couples, fit families with older children, and anyone who wants a day that feels more like a bushwalk than a city stroll. Combine it with the Manly ferry, and spend the evening in Manly rather than rushing back.