Moran House, St Patrick's College, remains a landmark today, even though the seminary left in 1995 and the building was leased to the International College of Tourism and Hotel Management. The College and the Cerretti Chapel are used for functions and are open to the public from time to time.

The grounds are an important part of the whole college. Some magnificent trees, now over a hundred years old, are still standing.

Follow Reddall Street down the hill and turn right on Bower Street.

In 1914 an Act of Parliament permitted the Catholic Church to subdivide 21 acres of land above Shelly Beach and Fairy Bower. The church leased the land to meet the cost of upkeep of the College. The properties on the church land have limited leases, and will expire after 99 years. Agreements have been made to renew some of the leases.

Walk along Bower Street to the giant pair of Moreton Bay figs on a grassed reserve. Cross the grass to the steps beginning on your left, which lead down to the beach.

This route was described at the time of the dedication of St Patrick's College in 1885 as an `alpine path'. In 1990 the gully, which had become a refuse dump, was cleared and regenerated by Manly Rotary Club, Manly Council and two local schools. First eucalypts were planted to create a canopy, and then other plants suited to a rainforest area were added. Planting also included Cabbage Tree palms. The bay below and Manly Ocean Beach were once named after this tree. Some people still refer to the area as Cabbage Tree Bay. The trunks of the palm were easily cut for building and fences. The leaves were used for thatch and hats, and the pith was fed to pigs.

At the foot of the hill, you will arrive at Shelly Beach.

Shelly Beach

This beach is named for the enormous quantity of shells that used to be found here. In the 1920s the tide regularly deposited shells. By 1933 it was reported that hundreds of shells had been taken from the beach. Now few remain.

This was a popular beach for fishing boats to be hauled up on, and for boat owners for drying and repairing their nets. Look on the headland on the far side on the beach for the remains of a jetty, a winch, boat rails and a lookout tower for spotting shoals of fish.

Sly family

The Sly family kept fishing boats here from 1888, and in 1903 patrolled with their boat, demonstrating surf rescue methods. They were closely associated with the early surf life-saving movement in Manly. In 1936 G. J. Sly found an extremely rare vampire octopus washed up here, one of only ten sighted throughout the world and the only one ever found in Australia. It was about 1.25 metres across and pink in colour, and it ended its life ignominiously as bait.

Fishing in Cabbage Tree Bay

Cabbage Tree Bay was once an important commercial fishing area in NSW. Up to fifty years ago, huge schools of kingfish, salmon and tuna were netted here. The Bay experienced a decline in fish population during the second half of the twentieth century. Now it is only occasionally netted commercially. However, in 1998 the Ministry for Fisheries launched a marine study conducted by the University of Sydney which found a rich diversity of fish, including four protected species and the blue groper.

Beach kiosk

For many years refreshment has been provided to visitors to the beach. The present stone kiosk was originally a tearoom when it was built in 1923. In the 1920s dances were held here. The sessions were organised by committees, with names such as `Bluebirds' or `Gumnuts', who decided who was suitable to attend.

If you wish, you can cross the beach and walk up the steps between the trees to circle the headland. Back on the beach, turn north towards Manly and walk along Marine Parade.

Along the shore to Fairy Bower In 1859 it was proposed to leave Shelly Beach and the land along the shore as far as Fairy Bower for the public to enjoy. However, John Robertson, Secretary for Lands, was keen to exclude the public, believing that the church grant should form a buffer between the public and the Quarantine Station. There was considerable objection to the exclusion of the public by 1885, but it was not until 1898 that Shelly Beach and the ocean foreshore were returned to the people at Manly Council's request, as this was such a popular recreation place.

Twenty-two acres of land from the Quarantine Station were added to St Patrick's College in exchange for eight acres of foreshore and headland at Shelly Beach. A sewer was laid along the foreshore to discharge the other side of the headland at Shelly Beach. Marine Parade was built over it as a walkway. Fairy Bower There used to be many wildflowers in this area. Francis Myers, who described the delights of Manly in 1885, said that the fencing of the land belonging to St Patrick's College protected a vast area of wildflowers. Myers also described Fairy Bower and Shelly Beach as pleasing picnic spots, with `never failing supplies of water, firewood always obtainable and delightful shade'.

In 1858, C. F. Hemington leased eight acres at Fairy Bower and advertised his place, reached by steps from the beach, with refreshment tents and tables and seats. By the end of the year, patronage had greatly increased, and a 50-gallon copper provided tea and coffee. Music and dancing were also organised.

Ferry service

For a short while in the early 1860s, there was a separate ferry service from Sydney to Little Manly. From there visitors could enjoy a shaded twelve-minute walk direct to Fairy Bower. This service was advertised as avoiding the noise of Manly. There was keen rivalry between ferry services, vigorously expressed in the press at the time.

Queen's birthday celebration

In 1861, races were held at Fairy Bower to celebrate the Queen's birthday. There were sack and wheelbarrow races, as well as a running race with a prize of £25 (£1 could purchase 40 ferry tickets, at sixpence each). Full meals, sandwiches, oysters, tea, coffee, wines and spirits were all served. The day culminated in a fireworks display.

Business must have been precarious at the time: a twelve-room hotel with balcony in this area was offered for sale in 1863, and again in 1865 and 1868. In April 1868 the hotel was destroyed by fire.

A tradition of entertainment

Dancing was a very popular pastime in Manly during the first half of the century, and there was a dance hall at Fairy Bower in 1914. In 1927 Mrs Greenwood of the Fairy Bower Casino Café advertised high-class accommodation, and today there is still a café. Fairy Bower's tradition of entertainment continues.

Smallest swimming pool

The swimming pool was built by local residents in 1929. This is the smallest pool in Sydney, apart from those built especially for children. It remains almost unaltered from its original state. It has not always been a viable pool, and its condition has varied. For example, in 1961 the fire brigade had to be called out to pump water into the dry pool.

Continue along Marine Parade to Manly Ocean Beach.

Along the Parade is a fine sculpture, Shell and Wave, representing aspects of the sea and time. In 1986 a threatening overhanging boulder was cut away from the rock face. Cliff Axelsen and a group of students from Seaforth TAFE carved this work from the boulder, and it was dedicated to all of Manly's Surf Life Savers.

Manly Ocean Beach

To hinder enemy landings during World War II, rolls of barbed wire were laid along the beaches. The remains of tank-traps, tetrahedrons made from concrete, are still buried under the sand here. Look for three weathered specimens near the walkway just after Bower Lane.

Proceed to the Manly Life Saving Club at the junction of Marine Parade and South Steyne.

Can you find the plaque commemorating the sewerage works of 1898? Look behind the club, on the rock face at the corner of Ashburner Street.

South Steyne

Offshore of South Steyne is a popular surfing spot. In 1936 tragedy struck when a teenage boy was taken by a shark while out swimming with two friends. The conditions were typical for a shark attack: the sky was overcast, and it was late afternoon. In the 1930s and 1940s, sharks could often be seen in the water. Sharks netted by local fishermen were displayed in a shed at Fairy Bower for a small fee, and the proceeds went to the Surf Club.

Sydney's garbage was regularly dumped in the sea until the 1930s, and sewage was discharged at the beach. The end of these practices, and the introduction of the practice of netting the beaches, mean that sharks are rarely seen now in this area.

From South Steyne, proceed to Manly's central business district, in the vicinity of The Corso. Here you can explore Manly further, or relax.

More about Manly

We hope this walk has given you a taste of the history of Manly, and a chance to discover the layers of history in the landscape. If you enjoyed it, you might like to do other walks in the area. This is the second in our booklet series; the first is the Heart of Manly Heritage Walk.

Further information can be obtained at Manly Library's Local Studies section in Market Place, and at Manly Art Gallery in West Esplanade.

We also recommend visiting North Head Artillery Museum and World War II Relics (9976 3855), the Quarantine Station (National Parks & Wildlife Services, 9977 6522 - booking essential) and the North Head Lookout.

Dateline from the text

1810 - First grant of the Eastern Hill land, to Richard Cheers.
1827 - Land passed to Wentworth's daughter, Katherine.
1859 - Eastern Hill area subdivided and auctioned from April onwards; gradually developed into the residential suburb it is today. 60 acres of land at Manly promised to the Catholic Church.
1860 - Separate ferry service established from Sydney to Little Manly.
1883 - Races held at Fairy Bower to celebrate the Queen's birthday.
1884 - Gas lighting comes to Manly.
1885 - Exclusion of the public from Shelly Beach.
1889 - 23 January: official opening of St Patrick's College.
1896 - First Manly Hospital opened.
1898 - Shelly Beach and ocean foreshore returned to the people.
1923 - Building of Cabbage Tree Bay beach kiosk near the fishing huts and sheds, offering food and refreshment to the present day.
1926 - In October: new Olympic Pool opened at the Gentlemen's Baths; first broadcast on 2BL radio on this occasion.
1935 - In November: the Cerretti Chapel opened and named after a visiting cardinal, the first Apostolic delegate to visit Australia.
1936 - G. J. Sly finds an extremely rare vampire octopus. Washed up on Shelly Beach, it was one of only ten ever seen in the world, and the only one ever found in Australia.
1936 - Teenage boy taken by a shark at South Steyne.
1952 - Gocher Court built for the Housing Commission, to provide much-needed accommodation after the Second World War; the first example of high-rise units in Manly.
1964 - Manly Gas Company's gasworks closed.
1969 - Manly Council attempted to limit the height of buildings.
1970 - Manly Gasworks sold to the NSW government.
1974 - In May: Manly Baths suffer severe storm damage. Two weeks after the storm, a ship rolls coming through the Heads and loses all her deck cargo of oregon.
1976 - In April: Manly Baths closed.
1986 - Under the Manly Planning Scheme, further restrictions on the height of buildings introduced.
1998 - Marine study by the Ministry for Fisheries finds a rich diversity of fish, including four protected species and the blue groper in Cabbage Tree Bay.