Little Manly Beach, Sydney: Location, swimming & fishing

Little Manly Beach on Sydney Harbour is a tiny cove, popular for fishing off the rocks. The Little Manly Cove Baths is a safe place for children to swim.

Little Manly Beach is a little Sydney Harbour cove that gets routinely ignored by people flocking to its bigger neighbour, Manly Beach.

Both offer something very different, however. Manly Beach is about the spectacle of the crashing ocean surf, and the flanking Norfolk Island Pines.

13 brilliant experiences in Sydney you should book

The Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains.

(💲Great value 💲) Tick off several bucket list items on a highlights-packed Blue Mountains day tour.
Get perfect views of the world’s most beautiful city on a Sydney Harbour helicopter tour.
Save money with a multi-attraction pass.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Enjoy the romance of a tall ship cruise on Sydney Harbour.
Eat all you can at the Skyfeast at the top of Sydney Tower.
See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
(Highly recommended ✅) Go behind the scenes of Australia’s most famous building on an Opera House tour.
Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
(🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.

Little Manly Beach, however, doesn’t attempt grandeur. It’s a petite, charming little place that embraces the quiet.

Little Manly Beach at the end of Little Manly Cove, Sydney. Photo by Andrew Gregory/ Destination NSW.

Where is Little Manly Beach?

Little Manly Beach is sandwiched between Smedley’s Point and Little Manly Point. It’s on North Harbour, and on the upper reaches of North Head. It’s not quite inside the Sydney Harbour National Park, although Collins Beach on the other side of Little Manly Point is.

From Manly Wharf, where the Manly Ferry arrives from Circular Quay, it’s a 12 minute walk to Manly Beach. Turn up Stuart Street once you reach the Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club and it’ll take you straight there.

Manly experiences to book before you arrive

Northern Beaches and Ku-Ring-Gai National Park guided tour – enjoy the best of northern Sydney.
Manly and Shelly Beach snorkelling tour – discover Sydney’s secret underwater world.
Stand-up paddleboard hire – glide along the harbour.
Self-guided bike tour – visit several gorgeous spots on two wheels.
Single kayak or double kayak hire – paddle yourself to hidden harbour beaches.

Little Manly Cove Baths

Also known as Little Manly Cove, this small beach is popular with fishermen who perch on the rocks at either end. It’s also a safe spot for swimming. The Little Manly Cove Baths is a grandiose name for what’s essentially an enclosed swimming area at the mercy of the tides. Nevertheless, there are toilets and changing facilities next to it, and the waves are tiny to non-existent. Kids can splash happily there without parents having to get too concerned.

Other Manly Beaches

Elsewhere in and around Manly, beaches with smaller crowds include Freshwater Beach, Store Beach and Queenscliff Beach. You can also go swimming at the Fairy Bower Pool on Marine Parade at Shelly Beach.

Good spots for eating and drinking in Manly include 4 Pines, Hugo’s Manly, the Ivanhoe Hotel and the Manly Greenhouse.