Collins Beach

This is a good little beach. If you want peace and quiet and nice, calm waters, this is the place for you. I was here on a public holiday and there were only a few others there. It’s a harbour beach so there are no waves, which make Collins Flat a nice place for a swim. There are also some cool rocks to explore (although be careful to avoid the mossy ones because they’re very slippery), as well as little caves. There’s even a jump rock, which is a popular activity for local kids. Of course I don’t recommend this — it’s even been fenced off but people just bypass it anyway.
No worries if you’re travelling to Manly from far away, getting to Collins Flat isn’t hard at all. If you catch the ferry to Manly, you’ll need to walk up Darley Rd for basically all of your journey (which does have some annoyingly steep uphill parts), and you’ll know you’re getting closer to the beach when things flatten out and you reach the bush, which will have signs for North Head and Collins Flat. Then it’s just a 1 km walk on a wide, winding road amongst the bush land (with some great water views) and you’ll be at Collins Flat soon enough. In the heart of Manly you can hire bikes, which would be a good idea, except for the uphill parts on Darley Road. It would be fun going back down though, and riding through the bush land. If you’re really fit you could probably also explore North Head and Fairfax lookout in the same day, but I know I was way too tired after the walk there, plus exploring the beach.
If you’re able-​bodied or just looking to get a work out, this is a good trip for you. If you’re disabled, I think it would be very difficult because while you can park a car in the bush land, it’s still a bit of a walk to the beach and while there are at least 3 pathways to get there, I know the 2 I took were not suited to people who have walking problems. Luckily there are plenty more accessible beaches to explore in Manly.
Overall, I would recommend this trip if you like quiet secluded beaches, and you’re able-​bodied.

There are very few beaches that are really secluded, especially in Sydney. Collins Beach is probably about as close as you can get to one (thanks googlemaps!). There’s no car park next to it, so walking down to the beach involves a bit of bush walking. Once your day there, you find a little paradise — calm waters due to its inner harbour location, a waterfall feeding into a small pool that runs down to the water and, if you’re lucky, very few other sunbathers. Obviously, there will be people down here but I was down here on a very warm Sunday and it wasn’t uncomfortably populated. I’ve even used it to film a music video — that was during a week day — and it was more or less empty, so if you’re looking for a quiet beach while you’re on holiday, check it out! The sand isn’t totally clean in that there’s a bit of natural debris (tree branches and the like) lying about, but that shouldn’t put you off. It is a beautiful little beach and a nice alternative to the hubbub of Manly beach.