Boté: coffee on the water in Fairlight
A takeaway café on the pontoon at Fairlight marina. Mecca coffee, Staple pastries, and boats at anchor in front of you.
← The Journal · Walk · Café · Manly
Manly to Shelly Beach: the walk to do first
If guests do one walk, Jules and Andrew suggest this one. The coastal path from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach takes about 20 minutes. It covers a lot of what the Northern Beaches does well: surf, headland, clear water, and a sheltered cove at the end.
It’s short enough for a morning and long enough to feel like a proper walk. On the way back, stop at The Bower for coffee with a view across the bay. Allow about two hours with a swim and a coffee. That’s about right.
Surf, headland, clear water, and a sheltered cove that feels like a reward.
The walk
Start at Manly Beach. Head south along the beachfront until the path curves around the headland at Fairy Bower, past the ocean pool. From there it follows the coast towards Cabbage Tree Bay. The path is well marked and mostly flat.
Cabbage Tree Bay is an aquatic reserve just before Shelly Beach. When the water is clear, you can often see fish from the path. On calm days, snorkellers dot the bay.
The route
1
Manly Beach
Start at the southern end of the beach and follow the path around the headland.
2
Fairy Bower
The path passes the ocean pool. The Bower is here too. Note it for the way back.
3
Cabbage Tree Bay
An aquatic reserve. Stop on the path and look down for fish.
4
Shelly Beach
A sheltered cove with calm, clear water. Swim if you can.
5
Back to The Bower
Coffee on the terrace, looking over the bay to Manly.
Shelly Beach
Shelly Beach is the payoff. It’s a small cove tucked behind the Manly headland, sheltered from the open ocean. The water is calmer than Manly Beach and often very clear. On a weekday morning it can feel close to empty.
Take a swim. There’s a grassy area behind the sand, a good place to sit for a while before coffee.
The Bower
The Bower is at 7 Marine Parade, on the coastal path between Manly and Shelly Beach. Its terrace looks over the water towards Manly Beach. On a clear morning you see the whole colour of the place: green headland, pale sand, water shifting between blue and green.
The kitchen runs through to mid-afternoon. Last orders are 3:30pm Monday to Thursday and 4:30pm Friday to Sunday. Mid-morning is when the terrace feels its best.
You arrive planning one coffee. You leave two hours later, already talking about coming back.
Getting there from Bare Studio
Bare Studio is in Balgowlah. Manly is about 30 minutes on foot, or a short bus ride from Sydney Road. From Manly Beach, the coastal path to Shelly Beach takes about 20 minutes.
Jules and Andrew are happy to point you in the right direction from the door. It’s the question they hear most, and they still enjoy answering it.
The Bower
- The Bower, 7 Marine Parade, Manly NSW 2095
- Phone (02) 5943 7092
- thebowermanly.com.au
- Last orders 3:30pm Monday to Thursday
- Last orders 4:30pm Friday to Sunday
- Terrace with views across the water to Manly
The walk
- Start at the southern end of Manly Beach
- About 20 minutes to Shelly Beach
- Mostly flat, well-marked path
- Cabbage Tree Bay is an aquatic reserve, good for snorkelling
- Allow two hours for the walk, a swim and a coffee
Staying nearby
Bare Studio is in Balgowlah, a short bus ride or a 30-minute walk from Manly. An easy base for this walk.
More from the Journal
Other places Jules and Andrew recommend
Effie’s: the Balgowlah local that does both
Coffee from 6am. Natural wine and small plates Thursday to Saturday nights. The Balgowlah local that does both, a short walk from the studio.
All of this is close by
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Bare Studio is a self-contained studio suite in Balgowlah. Boté and Effie’s are an easy walk away, and the coastal walk from Manly to Shelly Beach is close by. Jules and Andrew live on-site and know every place in the Journal.