The Manly to Bondi Walk is a great challenge for locals and visitors. Check out our day by day guide to how you can complete the 80km walk easily over 7 days.

There is no need to rush, complete the walk in seven one day outings or if you want to walk faster, you can combine them to suit. We like the idea of taking it slowly and having time to experience the beautiful scenery along the way.

For those of you who like a challenge, we added two extra days extending the route to La Perouse in the south. 

So let’s go find out how to cover the 80km Sydney walk now! 

The Sydney Expert Do it Yourself guide to the Manly to Bondi (or the Bondi to Manly) walk.

Fancy walking the new 80km Sydney Walk now rather than waiting till the official walk is complete? I have done the work and mapped out how you can cover this ground right now. I believe the official route will go from Bondi to Manly, but I did it the other way around.

• You can reverse this route or even do it out of order to suit yourself.
• Do it on consecutive days or one day a week/month. There are no rules – just do it!
• We have broken it into seven days walking on average 10-12km per day.
• Each day I will assume a starting point of Circular Quay and provide transport info to and from the Quay for each day.

For those of you who like a challenge, we have extended the walk to La Perouse, making our version 9 days in total. Perfect for a two-week holiday with some rest days in between.

It also makes ideal training for anybody considering undertaking the Camino De Santiago.

All costs included below assume you are using public transport and have an Opal Card.

I have added an estimated walking time, but if you want to explore and photograph the sites along the way, you would need to double it.

Day 1. Manly – North Head – Manly

This walk makes a lovely day out with a combination of beach and clifftop views.

Number of Kilometres: 12km

Once you get off the ferry, walk down the Corso and along to Shelly Beach, from here you follow a small track to North Head Lookout and back to Manly Wharf via Collins Flat Beach and Little Manly Beach.

Highlights

• Manly Beach
• Shelly Beach
• North Head Sanctuary
• Collins Flat Beach
• Little Manly Beach

Transport to start: Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly
Transport cost: $8.04 each way on the ferry
Expected time to complete: 2hrs 30 min walking time
Return transport: Manly ferry

Day 2. Manly Wharf to Spit Bridge

Number of kilometres: 10.2km

This section is one of the most popular walks on the north side of the harbour.

Starting again today at Manly Wharf, this section is essentially the Manly to Spit Bridge route and is very well signposted. Make sure you pack water and take advantage of toilet stops when they present themselves, as they are few and far between.

Highlights

• Arabanoo lookout at Dobroyd Head
• Reef Beach
• Great view of North and South heads
• Clontarf Beach
• Middle Harbour

Transport to start: Ferry from Circular Quay to Manly
Transport cost: $8.04 ferry and $3.66 bus
Expected time to complete: 2 hours 20 mins walking time
Return transport: Bus from Spit Bridge to Wynyard

You can combine day one and day two of this walk if you prefer to speed things up.

There is also a dog-friendly section of this part of the walk.

Day 3. Spit Bridge to Athol Wharf (Taronga Zoo) Wharf

Number of kilometres: 8.4km

This section is possibly my absolute favourite part of the walk. Other than the killer stairs just behind Balmoral Beach, it’s a relatively fun day of walking.

Today’s walk is a mix of residential streets and trails in the Sydney Harbour National Park. Start where you got the bus from at Spit Bridge yesterday or you can cheap and begin at Balmoral Beach. The trail is relatively easy to find once you get to the stairs in the park behind Balmoral Beach.

Highlights

• Balmoral Beach
• Headlands Park
• Chowder Bay
• Bradleys Head Amphitheatre

Transport to start: Bus to Spit Bridge
Transport cost: $3.66 bus and $6.01 ferry
Expected time to complete: 2hours walking time
Return transport: Ferry from Zoo Wharf

I have a full detailed guide of this section of the walk here

Day 4. Taronga Zoo Wharf to Milsons Point

Number of kilometres: 12km

While you are walking today just a few kilometres from the hustle and bustle of North Sydney and the city the trail around Cremorne Point will fell a million miles away.

Once you get off the ferry, walk to the left and you will find the trail easily. There is a small section where you walk through residential streets, but the homes are lovely, and you might even pass the Prime Minister or official guests on their early morning walks.

Highlights

• Curlew Camp
• Lex and Ruby Gardens
• Maccallum Pool
• Nutcote
• Kirribilli

Transport to start: Ferry to Taronga Zoo
Transport cost: $6.01 ferry and $2.41 bus
Expected time to complete: 3 hours walking time
Return transport: Train or ferry from Milsons Point

Day 5. Milsons Point to McKell Park Darling

Today’s walk could be renamed exploring Sydney’s Icons because you will hit all the key attractions today.

Number of Kilometres: 10.1km

Once you exit Milsons Point Station, you can either head straight up onto the Harbour Bridge or take a detour to Lavender Bay, and Wendy’s not so secret garden. Doing this will add a km or two to your days total but it is lovely, and there are lots of good photo opportunities.

Highlights

• Sydney Harbour Bridge walk
• Sydney Opera House
• Royal Botanic Gardens
• Mrs Macquarie’s Chair
• Rushcutters Bay

Transport to start: Train to Milsons Point
Transport cost: $3.20 bus and $6.43 ferry
Expected time to complete: 2 hours, 15 mins walking time
Return transport: Ferry from Darling Point

Day 6. McKell Park to Watsons Bay

Number of Kilometres: 12km

This walk takes in harbour vistas and million dollar harbour homes and lots of lovely bays to swim in.

Darling Point and Point Piper are home to some of the most expensive real estate in the world and while you will get glimpses of some of the gardens, most of the houses and their occupants are well hidden. Once you reach the Hermitage Walk, you escape the traffic and feel you have been transported hours from the city.

Highlights

• Duff Park
• Murray Rose Pool
• Hermitage Foreshore Walk
• Milk Beach
• Vaucluse House
• Parsley Bay

Transport to start: Ferry to Darling Point (or bus from Elizabeth Street)
Transport cost: $6.43 each way on ferry
Expected time to complete: 2 hours 40 mins walking time
Return transport: Ferry from Watson’s Bay

Day 7. Watsons Bay to Bondi

Number of Kilometres: 10.8km

Lots of variety today from lighthouses to the Iconic Bondi Beach, waterfront mansions and rugged cliffs.

Water everywhere you turn today. When you get off the ferry, you will walk north past little harbour beaches until you reach the Hornby Lighthouse on South Head. Then you double back to The Gap lookout so you can check out the Pacific Ocean cliffs.

You then follow the coast all the way along to Bondi Beach. Keep a lookout for the stone staircase at Diamond Head, it offers a great view.

Highlights

• Hornby Lighthouse
• The Gap
• Macquarie Lighthouse
• Dudley Page Reserve
• Diamond Bay
• Bondi Grafit Wall
• Bondi Beach
• Icebergs

Transport to start: Ferry to Watsons Bay
Transport cost: $6.01 ferry and $3.66 bus
Number of Kilometres: 10.8km
Expected time to complete: 2 hours 30 mins walking time
Return transport: Bus from Bondi Beach

This is the end of the Official Bondi to Manly 80km walk. But if you want more…… 

Day 8. South Bondi to Maroubra Beach

Number of Kilometres: 9.6km

This is the Bondi to Coogee walk extended all the way to Maroubra Beach. Once you get past Coogee, you will find you often have the trail to yourself.

The famous Bondi to Coogee walk has many highlights, but the old swimming baths just past Coogee are pretty unique in my book and worth a stop. Today’s walk takes in no less than five beaches and at least 10 inviting swimming spots!

Highlights

• Bronte Baths
• Waverley Cemetery
• Gordon’s Bay
• Wylie’s Baths
• Mahon Pool

Transport to start: Bus 333 to Bondi Beach
Transport cost: $3.66 bus and$4.71 bus
Expected time to complete: 2 hours, 50 mins walking time
Return transport: Bus L94 from Maroubra Beach to city

Day 9. Maroubra Beach to Bare Island

Number of Kilometres: 12 km

The highlight today is the historic site at La Perouse – Bare Island. If it looks familiar, it was where they shot some scenes from Mission Impossible 2.

This walk, while not official, is equally beautiful and takes you from the popular local beach Maroubra, into the new Malabar Headland Park and over to Botany Bay, the site that was supposed to be the location of the first settlement.

Highlights

• Maroubra Rubix Cube
• Malabar Headland National Park
• Little Bay
• Cape Banks Lookout
• La Perouse Museum
• Bare Island Fort

Transport to start: Bus L94 to Maroubra Beach
Transport cost: $5.05 each way on the bus
Expected time to complete: 2 hours 30 mins walking time
Return transport: Bus L94 from La Perouse to the city

So there you have it – no longer the 80km Sydney walk but now the 101.6 walk! 

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