Manly & North Harbour
North Harbour is the first big bay to starboard once you're inside North Head, with Manly Cove and the ferry wharf at its north-east corner and Spring Cove tucked under the headland. It's handy for a crew change by ferry, and pretty in a westerly. But it's open to the swell that rolls in through the Heads, and part of the shore is critical habitat for little penguins.
- 1Manly Wharf · OSM.
- 2North Harbour Marina · OSM.
- 3Forty Baskets Jetty · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Bays on the north side of Sydney Harbour just inside North Head |
| Shelter | Good in westerlies; NGA says The Sound is open to ocean swell |
| Wildlife | Little penguin critical habitat, July to February (map 9D) |
| Ferries | Manly wharf is a ferry terminal |
| Maps | TfNSW map 9D (Middle Harbour and North Harbour) |
Getting here
From the Heads. NGA describes The Sound, just inside the entrance, branching north to Spring Cove, North Harbour and Middle Harbour. It notes Manly Pier, used as a mark kept open of Manly Point when ships leave by the Eastern Channel.
Ferries. Manly wharf is a ferry terminal, so watch for ferries coming and going. By day, ferries with an orange diamond have priority over sail, and sailing boats must keep 200 m off their bow and 30 m off their sides and stern (TfNSW).
Anchoring and moorings
- Swell. NGA says this part of the harbour is exposed to ocean swell and only gives temporary anchorage in offshore winds. Pick your weather.
- Penguins. Map 9D marks a critical habitat for little penguins, in force between July and February. Check the sheet for its boundary before you anchor.
- Courtesy moorings. Map 9D shows pink courtesy moorings in the harbour; they're free for vessels under 20 tonnes for up to 24 hours unless signed otherwise.
Just outside: Cabbage Tree Bay
NGA says Cabbage Tree Bay, around the corner on the ocean side of Manly, gives small craft anchorage sheltered from southerlies. Map 9D says to take extreme care there because of swimming and diving in the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve.
Sydney Harbour rules in brief
- No PWCs, no kiteboards. TfNSW says you can't drive a personal watercraft anywhere on Sydney Harbour, including its bays, the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers and Middle Harbour. Kiteboards are banned too, and sailboards are restricted in many areas.
- Ferries. By day, ferries showing an orange diamond have priority over sail. Sailing boats keep at least 200 m off their bow and 30 m off their sides and stern. High-speed ferries show an all-round flashing yellow light when travelling fast.
- Ships. Keep well clear of ships in the channels, keep to the starboard side and give way. Sydney VTS broadcasts safety messages and ship movements every 2 hours on VHF 13 (and 16), starting at about 1 am. The Port Authority asks recreational boaters to listen on 13 in the harbour and 12 in Botany Bay.
- Naval waters. TfNSW map 9D says no anchoring in naval waters, and to keep clear of Garden Island by staying outside the Man of War yellow buoys. NGA warns of hazardous work with explosives in naval waters; keep away from warships and ammunition barges flying flag B.
- Moorings. Pink courtesy moorings are free for vessels under 20 tonnes for up to 24 hours unless a sign says otherwise. Blue emergency moorings are for TfNSW and police only (map 9D).
- Swimmers. Powerboats keep at least 60 m from designated swimming areas (map 9D).
- Survey work, 27 Oct to 27 Nov 2026. Port Authority local marine notice 030-2026 says a survey boat (a Zodiac) is surveying Port Jackson, mostly in naval waters, weather permitting. Keep clear of it.
Ashore
What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 27 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.
From Manly Wharf (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| El Camino cantina Manly | Bar | 150 m | – |
| Manly Wharf Hotel | Pub | 220 m | East Esplanade, 2095 |
| Wharf Bar | Bar | 260 m | – |
| 4 Pines Brewing Company | Pub | 300 m | 29/43-45 East Esplanade, Manly 2095 |
| The Gopher | Bar | 360 m | 40 The Corso, Manly NSW 2095 |
| The Ivanhoe Hotel | Pub | 380 m | – |
| plus 10 more within the walk | |||
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Saigon Supper Inn | Restaurant | 100 m | – |
| Gelatissimo | Ice cream | 110 m | – |
| Guzman y Gomez | Takeaway | 110 m | – |
| Sushi Hub | Restaurant | 120 m | – |
| Hugos | Restaurant | 140 m | – |
| Cove Espresso Co by Schibella | Cafe | 170 m | – |
| Baskin-Robbins | Ice cream | 190 m | – |
| Fratelli Fresh | Restaurant | 220 m | – |
| plus 91 more within the walk | |||
| Entertainment | |||
| Manly Arts & Craft Market | Market | 520 m | – |
| Manly Beach | Attraction | 780 m | – |
| North Steyne Beach | Attraction | 1.1 km | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Manly Ferry Terminal | Shopping centre | 140 m | – |
| Tobbaco shop | Convenience store | 210 m | – |
| Coles Local | Supermarket | 260 m | 8-28 The Corso |
| Coles | Supermarket | 450 m | 11-15 Wentworth Street, Manly |
| Manly Food Co-op | Supermarket | 500 m | 1/11-25 Wentworth Street, Manly NSW 2095 |
| EzyMart | Convenience store | 630 m | – |
| plus 12 more within the walk | |||
From North Harbour Marina / Forty Baskets Jetty (boat ramp / dinghy landing, marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Buoy Kiosk | Cafe | 120 m | – |
| Forty Beans | Cafe | 560 m | – |
| Khao Thai Restaurant | Restaurant | 1.1 km | – |
| Johny Gio | Takeaway | 1.1 km | – |
| hamro aangan | Restaurant | 1.1 km | – |
| Roasted Grape | Cafe | 1.1 km | – |
| Balgowlah Gourmet Chicken & Salad | Cafe | 1.1 km | – |
| Pizza Hut | Restaurant | 1.1 km | – |
| plus 3 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Harlequin's | Bakery | 1.1 km | – |
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 27 October 2026.
About this page
These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current Transport for NSW marine notices, Port Authority notices, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.
Official links
Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.
- Transport for NSW: rules for boating on Sydney Harbour
- Port Authority of NSW: Sydney Harbour & Port Botany local marine notices
- Port Authority of NSW: Sydney Harbour information for recreational boaters
- Transport for NSW: exclusion and restriction zones
- Port Authority local marine notice 030-2026: bathymetric survey (PDF)
- Transport for NSW boating maps (index)
- Transport for NSW marine notices (current)
- Transport for NSW: crossing coastal bars
- Marine Rescue NSW: log on and plan your trip
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: NSW coastal waters forecasts
- Bureau of Meteorology: NSW warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from Transport for NSW boating map 9D (Middle Harbour and North Harbour, produced 20 October 2025) (each sheet read with pdftotext or viewed on 27 October 2026; each carries its own 'produced' or 'printed' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), Transport for NSW boating pages and marine notices, Port Authority of NSW notices, Marine Rescue NSW unit pages (checked 27 October 2026) and OpenStreetMap. NGA Pub. 127 Sectors 4 and 5 (4.23, 5.7). TfNSW rules for boating on Sydney Harbour read 27 October 2026.
Transport for NSW. Facts from the Transport for NSW boating maps (each sheet's 'produced' date is quoted where we rely on it), nsw.gov.au boating pages and TfNSW marine notices, restated and summarised in our own words. Maps are linked, not reproduced. The official maps, notices and the Marine Safety Regulation 2016 prevail. Not endorsed by Transport for NSW.
Port Authority of NSW. Local marine notices and recreational boating advice for Newcastle, Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay and Port Kembla, cited for fact only.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Marine Rescue NSW. Unit contacts and hours from each unit's own website, checked on the date shown in the rescue box.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.
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