trike ride – Beach Beauty – Marina + Torsten 12.03.26

Our passengers booked the northern beaches trike ride – Beach Beauty – a month ago. The weather was terrible so they postponed until they came back to Sydney. Our trike rider picked them up at Manly Wharf, we emailed a map and instructions of where to meet.

Manly

Firstly, they rode past the main beach of Manly. Manly has several claims to fame; it was the birthplace of surfing in Australia, the first place to legalise all-day bathing in 1903 and one of the world’s first Surf Life Saving clubs. Manly Beach was the location for the first World Surfing Championships held in 1964.

Freshwater

Secondly, they rode past Freshwater Beach which has a very interesting history. This is a very small part of the history:

In December 1914, Duke Kahanamoku, the world sprint swimming champion, was touring Australia. He selected timber from a Sydney firm to fashion a board modelled on those used in his native Hawaii. He gave a demonstration to the press of surf board riding at Freshwater Beach. It was the second recorded time that anyone had surfed the clean waves beyond the break in Australian waters using this Hawaiian-style surfing technique. The first known surf board rider was Manly local Tommy Walker who rode a board at the 1912 Freshwater surf carnival. (wikipedia)

Also, this suburb and beach was originally called Freshwater. Historians think it was named after a fresh water creek which flowed into the ocean. It was changed to Harbord on September 1, 1923, The Harbord estate was named after Lady Judith Harbord, the sister-in-law of Lord Carrington, the Governor of NSW at the time. Harbord was again, officially renamed Freshwater on January 12, 2008 – 85 years after the other name change.

Freshwater Lookout

Locals often call this the South Curl Curl Headland. It is at the northern end of Freshwater and the southern end of Curl Curl. It offers panoramic ocean views and a tranquil environment for relaxation and recreation. The park features a bronze statue of Duke Kahanamoku, honoring his contribution to surfing in Australia (as mentioned above).

Curl Curl

Then, they rode north past Curl Curl Beach. This is one of our favourite beaches in Sydney! The name Curl Curl may have been derived from a Dharuk Aboriginal phrase curial curial, meaning river of life. It’s such a lovely beach to ride past as it’s easily seen from the road. It was first settled by Europeans in 1858.

Dee Why

A little further north, Dee Why is a very popular beach, it has been done up over the last decade. A park for concerts, a playground and restaurants across the road make it very popular with locals. It also has lovely clean sand and good waves. Already, the fun northern beaches trike ride – Beach Beauty, has shown our passengers some beautiful beaches.

Long Reef

Long Reef is a perfect stretch of white sand located on the Northern Beaches, approximately 21 km from Sydney’s CBD. There are many submerged shipwrecks off Long Reef Aquatic Reserve. In the 1970s and 80s, many vessels were purposely sunk off Long Reef Aquatic Reserve to create artificial reefs, including the Manly ferries Dee Why and Bellubera.

The offshore reef in the north (the Long Reef Bombora) starts to break at one metre or so, and in a big south swell, can produce a beautiful wave up to five metres.

Located on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, it is a headland and beach area known for coastal walks, surfing, and the protected Long Reef Aquatic Reserve. The reserve features a unique marine environment with submerged shipwrecks and is used for education and research. Other features include the Long Reef Golf Club and a prominent, geologically significant headland rich in fossils. It’s where this photo was taken.

Collaroy

Following along more beaches, they rode through Collaroy. The name Collaroy is aboriginal for “big reeds”. In 1881, the steamer “Collaroy” ran aground on Long Reef at the southern point of the suburb. Crowds came from all around the district to see the wreck that subsequently gave its name to the suburb.

Narrabeen

They turned around, rode south to Narrabeen Beach. It is one of Australia’s iconic surfing and swimming beaches. Over 3 km of sand stretches from Long Reef in the south to the Narrabeen Lagoon entrance in the north, with 4 surf lifesaving clubs along the beach.

Narrabeen Lagoon

Next, they rode via a part of Narrabeen Lagoon (also referred to as Narrabeen Lake). It is Sydney’s Northern Beaches largest estuary system located just behind the world famous surfing beach at Narrabeen. It is a haven for wildlife.

Newport

Continuing north, the 1.3 kilometres long beach at Newport has reddish golden sands and faces east. Love it! The northern beaches trike ride – Beach Beauty – is interesting and full of surprises!

Bilgola Beach

Bilgola Beach was next. The name “Bilgola” is derived from an Aboriginal term Belgoula meaning “swirling waters”, or perhaps “a pretty beach with steep slopes, studded with cabbage palms”. The word Belgoula was noted in Surveyor James Meehan’s records of 1814. It’s another fabulous beach and is 33 km NE of the Sydney CBD.

Avalon

They had a quick stop at Avalon Beach. It is a fantastic spot for surfing, swimming, or simply enjoying the coastal views. The surf here is less intense compared to some of the more famous beaches in Sydney. The sand here is a cool orange colour. This is because of iron oxide, which is like rust.

Whale Beach

Further north, Whale Beach is a 600 m long, and one of our favourites. Between Whale Beach and Palm Beach is the Palm Beach Bible Garden. It has spectacular views over Palm Beach (next beach).

“Home and Away” – Palm Beach – Summer Bay

Ending up at Palm Beach which is the home of the long running TV series “Home and Away”. Home and Away has been on our TV screens since 1988 and the famous Aussie soap is set in a fictional town called Summer Bay. Did you know most of it is filmed here? Palm Beach is a beautiful location for the show and if you’re lucky, you may even spot the show being filmed!

We cannot guarantee it but many of our passengers have seen it being filmed. The narrow peninsular is surrounded by water on three sides: Pittwater, the Pacific Ocean, and Broken Bay, making it perfect for surfing, swimming, sailing and lots more.

They stopped for a coffee and a stretch before heading back towards Sydney city.

Mona Vale

The main beach is 1 km long and very beautiful. The area was known as “Bongin Bongin” by the Aboriginals. The initial land grants in the district of Pittwater were not made until April 1813. Then they headed west.

Church Point

This led through Church Point. Aborigines had been here for 14,000 years or more and was discovered by the English in March 1788 by Sydney’s first Governor, Arthur Phillip. He was exploring its lower reaches in search or arable land. Church Point, located 32 kilometres north of the Sydney CBD, is a waterside suburb at the southern end of Pittwater in Sydney’s north. It’s a pretty area, away from the busyness of the beach suburbs but still can get very busy at times.

Akuna Bay

Which leads down as far as Akuna Bay. Akuna Bay, tucked away at the end of Coal and Candle Creek. Superb birdlife and some animals such as kangaroos, can sometimes be seen. Akuna Bay is inside Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Located in Sydney’s north, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park combines important history with scenic beauty, making it perfect for tours. Also, Bobbin Head is a great place for a family picnic, and parts of the park are ideal for cycling, fishing and bushwalking.

Pittwater

After that, they rode through a small section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and headed along Mona Vale Road, Terry Hills. Pittwater is the name of the big bay between Barrenjoey Peninsula, where Palm Beach is situated and Kur-ing-ai Chase National Park. The northern beaches trike ride – Beach Beauty – has shown so many beautiful areas that most people don’t get to see.

Terrey Hills

Now it was time to head south. Terrey Hills is a very leafy suburb and in some areas semi-rural, 25 kms north of the Sydney CBD. The area was used by Indigenous people prior to European settlement, and rock carvings exist in some places. One set of carvings depicts hunting scenes with kangaroos, human figures and footprints.

Roseville Bridge

The Roseville Bridge is a pre-stressed concrete box girder road bridge. Davidson Park is underneath the Roseville Bridge and within Garigal National Park. The Garigal National Park is a protected national park. It is located within the North Shore and Forest District regions of Sydney. At 2,202-hectare (5,440-acre) in size, the national park is quite small but important. Moreover, it is situated just 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the Sydney CBD.

Northbridge

Further south, they rode through Northbridge. The Suspension Bridge, linking the suburb to Cammeray, has become a recognised symbol of Northbridge, completed in January 1892 and purchased by the state government in 1912. It’s so beautiful, the style is Federation Gothic, with medieval motifs as “unexpected embellishments”.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Heading south over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passengers to look up and enjoy the unique view. The more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world. This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until a bridge in Canada was completed in 2012.

Cahill Expressway

Then they rode on the Cahill Expressway which is Sydney’s first freeway. It’s an elevated road built in the 1950s connecting the Harbour Bridge to the Eastern Distributor via Circular Quay, running over rail lines and through The Domain.

However, the 3 hours was way past its end time, so our trike rider dropped them at their hotel in the Sydney CBD. Our trike rider enjoyed the ride so was happy to extend the time frame.

In conclusion, the fun trike ride – Beach Beauty – around the northern Sydney beaches, was so much fun. Memories were made!

Feel the Freedom!

or just email trevor@trolltours.com.au and tell us what you would like to do.