A secret tunnel in the cliff between Manly Beach and Freshwater!…read more This is full-on Goonies style action. Also known as the Queenscliff Tunnel, it was constructed in 1908 by local fishermen as a shortcut between Manly and Freshwater. To get here you go to the Queenscliff Headland at the very left edge of Manly beach as you're facing out to sea. Walk past the rock pool and keep going, clamber over the rocks. Just before the big pink graffiti heart painted on the cliff (a northern beaches icon in itself), you'll discover a dark arch. Behold, the Wormhole! What will happen inside? Will you be transported to another dimension? Or just to the other side of the headland where you can scramble all the way to Freshie? Who can say. Go. Find out for yourself.

An (un)official northern beaches rite of passage. Have you…read moregot the stones to do Jump Rock? It's higher than you think. But hey, cliff jumps are always higher than you think when you're standing up there in your board shorts with your friends taking bets on whether or not you'll jump, and that one daredevil mate is already in the water shouting "Come on, it's easy!". You walk up from Little Manly beach and down the path at the end of Stuart Street. Word of warning, this isn't sanctioned by the council and you'll have to jump over a fence, so if you really want to do this, go with friends, and just be careful, okay?

This looks so fun I can't wait to go back! Unsure how to get back but, but I saw some people wet…read morethere, so they must have climbed back up somehow. Ben's directions are spot on, so just go through the hole in the fence and follow them!

I flipflops too! Especially flip-flops with eyes or glitter flip-flops or flip-flops slipping a…read morecheeky grin. Flip Flop Art Fence in Manly is a free-for-all project conceived by --- and embraces recycling-as-art. I mean let's face it, there's not much else one can do with ones double pluggers once they bite the dust. This Flip Flop Fence was so alluring to me that I failed to see the curb as I stepped back onto the pavement after heading out onto the road to get my pics, and tripped and grazed my knee. Let's add Fail to the Flip Floppery alliteration we have going on here. All are invited to add their beloved flip-flops and I hope this tradition continues until the entire fence is a wall of colourful rubber.

Unexpected excellence! I travel a lot for work and often find restaurants with amazing views…read more(waterfront or otherwise) can lose their way. Hugo's delivered EVERYTHING with the highest quality: Outstanding service from an attentive and hardworking staff and ever-present maitre d'. The best barramundi I have ever eaten in Australia! Well done! Even the salad was perfect--every piece was fresh and manicured. And I cannot fail to mention a PERFECT Aperol Spritz...these are a good judge of a bartender's attention to detail and experience. Especially in a high volume bar, to deliver two perfect Spritzes tells me a lot--not too sweet (too much Prosecco) not too bitter (too much Aperol) not too light (too much soda).

The food and atmosphere are fantastic, and the harbour view in Manly is probably one of the best…read morearound. Unfortunately, the service didn't match the overall experience for me. We had a booking for 8 people, and although 2 of us arrived exactly at the booking time, the rest of our group were still trying to find parking. It was a very hot day, and instead of showing us to our table to wait, we were told we couldn't be seated until the full group arrived and were directed to the bar to order cocktails instead. What disappointed me most was not the policy itself, but the way it was communicated. We arrived on time, not early, and I felt the interaction could have been handled in a much more welcoming and considerate way.

When I moved to the northern beaches from the inner west I was worried about my distance from…read moreLeichhardt and Haberfield. How was I going to get my quality Italian food fix, I worried? I needn't have, as it turns out. De Vita, right in the heart of Manly, delivered wood-fired Napoli-style pizza that delivered on all counts. There was a wide choice but I settled on the Contadina: pancetta, wood-fire-roasted potatoes, and fior di latte cheese. Very thin and flavourful. My wife had the Regina (cherry tomatoes, fior di latte cheese, prosciutto, rocket, Parmesan, olive oil, basil) and proclaimed it delicious. The calamari starter we shared was large but lightly battered, with fresh, tender squid chunks. The wine list looked good, but we brought our own as they're also BYO. The atmosphere and surroundings are OK; It's quite open to the street (at least during warmer weather) which is good if you like buzzy going-on, not so much if you want quiet romance. Service was quick, friendly, and happy to make recommendations. Pizza fix: acquired.

What. The. [...]. Manly…read more People are queuing 20 minutes for a tiny, average tasting $20 hot dog. Cafes serving glorified couscous salads at four times its market value are at 80% occupancy. Lukewarm, bitter coffee gets top rated and queues round the block. And somehow, I come to De Vita at lunchtime on a weekday and we are the only customers bar another table. This restaurant is fantastic. When the lunch special - all pizze at $15 - is on, it is even more fantastic. This is proper Neapolitan pizza, made to order, with ingredients that aren't bottom shelf Coles. I mean, there is not much else to say - if you know what Neapolitan pizza is, you will know, if you don't, I can't describe it in a way that would bring it across. It bears little resemblance to Domino's. At $15, on the overpriced Sydney market, you are almost robbing them. To be a fair reviewer, I have to add that the spaghetti gamberi were pretty average. Lacking in taste and salt, not the best prawns, small-ish portion. This is most definitely a pizzeria and that's what you should order (and an espresso afterwards). The service is Italian, that means efficient and a little direct, and the smile will be a little dry. This does not mean they do not like you. It's just how things are in Italy and the guys haven't quite adjusted to the matey Australian ways. Perhaps it is that it is on a side street, not on the Corso. Perhaps they need to hang a fixie upside down at the back and buy some tables made of century old wreckage wood fished out by divers wearing copper diving bells ironically. Perhaps what Australians (and the tourists and WHV expats that, to be honest, form 90% of Manly residents) want when they order a pizza is thick undercooked dough covered in low quality fat and protein, and they are surprised not to get that. Perhaps nobody reads TripAdvisor anymore (where they are in the top 10 restaurants for Manly, which is how I found them). I don't know. I don't care. Just go.

I stepped into this little shop for a look around, because it seemed cute... boy, was I in for a…read moresurprise! The sales girl was *horrendously* rude! The kind of rude that would earn one shocked stares in the street, let alone as salesperson of a store! When I first entered, she had a friend (non-staff) behind the counter with her, and they were conducting an overly loud conversation about trivialities. I had been looking around for a while, and at no point did she offer any kind of assistance or so much as acknowledge my presence. During my looking around, I found that the mementos and souvenirs in this shop were few and far between. Mostly they sold miscellaneous knick-knacks, the kind you find at The Reject Shop (that's not meant to be a dig at The Reject Shop, btw). It was very confusing, there were toothbrushes, and toy cars, and thongs, none of which had so much as an Australian flag printed on them, so I'm not sure in what capacity this store can call itself a souvenir shop. I ended up buying some ice cream, by which point the salesgirl had banished her friend and was now carrying on a loud conversation on her phone. When I stepped up to the counter, she actually had the nerve to put up her hand and signal that I wait while she finished! I very nearly couldn't believe it. The gall! The audacity! So I grumpily bought my ice cream and vowed never to return, and to spread the news of the rudeness of the staff here.

From Manly Wharf, Shelly beach is only a 20 minute scenic walk. Walk down the Corso with a variety…read moreof restaurants, pubs, and cafes and hit Manly Beach straight on with great beach front views. The coastal walk down to Shelly Beach is a really nice walkway to the Boathouse restaurant and is a short 2 minute walk from the beach to grab a bite to eat. I went with a friend and Shelly Beach is smaller, quieter, and back in a cove area. It is one of Central Coast's most popular beaches which features rock walks and is great for exploring. Great cliff top views where I got some awesome pictures. Definitely worth the visit and will be back.

A large open air restaurant just across the road from the ferry terminal in Manly. The place has a…read moregreat energy and we stopped in for lunch on New Year's Eve and got seated right away. This place has a huge menu of authentic Italian specialties including about 50 kinds of Neapolitan style pizzas that come in a tradition size (T) for one up to a 3 or even 6 meter size for large groups. It took some time to work our way through the list but we each finally settled on a different pizza: Margherita, pizzicia (Italian sausage +), BBQ chicken and a forth with goat cheese and prosciutto and figs. All of us were more than satisfied with our choices and none of the group was able to completely finish the "T" size. Probably would have best to share 2-3 for our group. Like every restaurant in Australia we have visited this past week, you will find prices significantly higher than in the states. Each pizza was around $25 but you have to keep in mind that already includes tax and tip. Bottom line: high quality and tasty food. Definitely would recommend for lunch.

We had high expectations after hearing good things about it from friends. Unfortunately we were…read moredisappointed. It is a handy location on a busy corner opposite the Manly Ferry wharf and had a good vibe with energy. It also had 2 Ducati motorcycles on display and at times Ferrari and Lamborghini cars. Unfortunately the food was just average. A good selection from antipasto and salads to pasta, pizza and calzone. It seems that the huge range and quick turnover mean not enough care for each dish. Presentation was good but the taste was a let down. My pasta dish labeled as hot had barely any zing at all, it certainly did not rate a chili next to it on the menu. The service by comparison was excellent. Quick and helpful. No issues there at all. Come for the range, location and quick service. Just don't come for the food.

Dark car park with very narrow spaces, some of which have pillars encroaching into the space making…read moreparking very tight. I reversed into a space which had a large overhang and subsequently dented my trunk. The space had a small sign saying 'please park facing forward' but in a crowded car park with minimal light whilst beginning reversing, it is obvious this sign cannot be seen. Ridiculous that such spaces even exist. Avoid.

I feel driven to Yelp about this 'cos it's just such a fine idea - though I'm not really sure quite…read morehow to categorise it ... Just a two minute walk from Manly ferry terminal, in Whistler Street, Manly Council has a lock-up bicycle parking area. It's undercover, accessible 24-hours a day via a council-issued keycard, and it's reasonably priced. If we want cars off the road in Sydney, and we want to make better use of our waterways for transport, this is simply one of the most sensible ideas I've seen. My only concern is that, like many carparks, it's entrance is a bit dark and out-of-the-way - might want to take a friend to retrieve your treadlie in the wee hours.