Manly Northern Beaches tour – Mody Family 09.04.26

The Manly Northern Beaches tour was definitely what the passengers wanted to do.
They did get to see quite a few of our / Sydney’s beautiful beaches. We emailed a map and instructions of where to meet in Circular Quay.

Circular Quay

Often referred to as the “gateway to Sydney”, the Circular Quay precinct has views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House and is a common location for viewing Sydney New Year’s Eve fireworks. It hosts a number of ferry wharves, bus stops, and a railway station.

Opera House

Firstly, they rode past the iconic Sydney Opera House. We can’t ride close but you can see it from a different angle to the usual. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, but completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Secondly, it was 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.

Neutral Bay

Next, it was through a few ‘normal’ suburbs. The name “Neutral Bay” originates from the time of the early colonial period of Australia, where different bays of Sydney harbour were zoned for different incoming vessels. This bay was where all foreign vessels would dock, hence the name

Cremorne

Named after the Cremorne Gardens in London, a popular pleasure ground in England, which derived its name from the Old Irish words Crích Mugdornd (modern Irish: Críoch Mhúrn), meaning ‘boundary’ or ‘chieftain’ of Mugdornd

Mosman

A busy suburb, Mosman is named after Archibald Mosman (1799–1863) and his twin brother George, who moved onto a 4-acre (16,000 m²) land grant in the area in 1831. They were involved in shipping, and founded a whaling station on a bay in the harbour, which became known as Mosman’s Bay.

The Spit

Then, it was through Spit, which is a suburb in its own right. It protrudes off Beauty Point and is home to the Spit Bridge, a bascule bridge opened in 1958 over Middle Harbour. The bridge opens at set times to allow yachts with high masts to pass. Crossing the Spit Bridge is fun, it has great views of Middle Harbour.

They rode over the Spit Bridge, up the hill to a lookout on the south side. It has beautiful views over Middle Harbour and back to Clontarf. Beauty Point takes its name from the piece of land protruding into the Middle Harbour, off Sydney Harbour. It was originally known as Billy Goat Point, but was renamed when it was subdivided to be sold.

Seaforth

Next, they headed to Seaforth lookout which faces towards the Spit. Seaforth was named after Loch Seaforth and Seaforth Island in Scotland. The land in this area was once owned by Henry Halloran, who subdivided it in 1906. The Seaforth library was built in 1887 and protected by heritage listing by Manly Council in 1995. Already, the Manly Northern Beaches tour on a trike has shown some beautiful sights.

Dee Why

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.

Curl Curl

Then, they turned and headed south. They rode 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. The Manly Northern Beaches tour on a trike, has shown our passengers some beautiful beaches.

Freshwater / Harbord

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).

Queenscliff

Northern end of Manly Beach is actually called Queenscliff Beach. It was named in honour of Queen Victoria (England). The area was popular with holiday-makers from the early 1900s to World War I, who stayed in holiday shacks on the headland. The suburb is famous amongst the Australian surf beaches for its “heavy” waves (bomboras) that break out at sea. All of the east cost of Sydney is beautiful as you can see on this Manly Northern Beaches tour on a trike.

Manly

The second most famous beach in Sydney – 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.

North Head

Next, it was to the beautiful views of North Head near Manly. Unending ocean views and a spectacular panorama of the harbour and Sydney skyline. Situated on the northern-most edge of the harbour within sight of Hornby Lighthouse on South Head.

However, the Manly Northern Beaches tour on the trike was well and truly over the time frame booked. The rider was having such a great time himself, so the tour went longer. They headed back over the SHB to the new Sydney Fish Markets.

Sydney Fish Markets

Here they could wander around and find something delicious to eat.

Just recently, on 19th January 2026, the Sydney Fish Markets moved to a third position. A $800-million relocation, just 400m or so from the previous position. According to their website, “The new Sydney Fish Market is deliberately designed as an authentic working fish market, not just a retail or food-hall experience.”

Before this move, Sydney Fish Market moved to its previous location at Blackwattle Bay, Pyrmont in 1966. Fish were sold using the traditional ‘voice’ auction system. This system saw buyers assemble outside the sales bay fence, where inside an assistant would hold up samples of fish from each box for buyers to bid until the highest price was reached.

The history of the fish selling industry in Sydney is very interesting. Like everything else in the world, how they sell the fish has changed dramatically since it began pre-1945.

In conclusion, the Manly Northern Beaches tour on a trike, was a fun and memorable experience.

Feel the Freedom!

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