Little Manly Cove Baths

Little Manly Cove Baths is a sheltered tidal swimming spot at Little Manly on Sydney's Northern Beaches, and the reviews are full of affection that spans generations — people who swam here as kids in the 1980s, and others recalling it from over fifty years ago. Recently rebuilt, it is described by regulars as just about perfect for what it is: a calm, family-friendly place to get in the water.

The swimming experience is the core appeal. Reviewers highlight gentle, calm waters ideal for families and kids to paddle around in, a good-sized beach with a grassed area to relax on for those who prefer it to sand, and a ladder leading up to a platform you can jump off into the water. The protected cove also lends itself to open-water swimming and parkland-side outdoor training. Feedback is mostly warm, though one reviewer was less impressed, mentioning a smell and feeling it was overpriced, and another noted it can get crowded.

For Manly and Northern Beaches locals and visitors after a safe, sheltered place to swim outdoors, Little Manly Cove Baths offers calm tidal water in a relaxed harbourside setting with a cafe nearby. It reads as a public swimming and recreation spot rather than a staffed facility, best suited to families, recreational swimmers and anyone who likes pairing a swim with time by the water.