Queenscliff Beach

Queenscliff Beach is about 16 kilometres north-east of the Sydney CBD (central business district). It's the top section of the long Manly stretch, with Queenscliff headland on the end. Manly Creek runs into Manly Lagoon behind the dunes, separating the beach from the suburb behind it. It's not a huge beach, but it's a clear, distinct part of the wider Manly coastline.

History

• The Traditional Custodians of the area are the Garigal people, part of the broader Guringai country, who fished and gathered here before European settlement.
• The suburb takes its name from Queen Victoria, a nod to the British colonial period.
• Subdivision of the headland began in the 1880s, turning scrubland into holiday shack territory, and by the early 1900s tram lines linking Manly to the surrounding suburbs helped push the area toward permanent residential development.
• Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club was formed on 15 January 1924, after a public meeting at Warton's Tea Rooms, and its first clubhouse opened later that year.

Beach Characteristics and Facilities

• Queenscliff has a serious surf break, driven by offshore reefs that throw up bomboras — waves that break well out to sea in a big swell. That makes it a beach known more for surfers than swimmers.
• At the northern end there's a 50-metre rock pool built into the cliff face in 1937 and renovated in 2014 with wider ramp access and new stairs. It gives swimmers a sheltered spot when the surf's too heavy.
• From the pool, a rock scramble at low tide leads to the Wormhole — a hand-cut tunnel through the headland to Freshwater.
• A promenade runs along the beach linking it to North Steyne and Manly Beach to the south.
• Facilities are basic rather than extensive: toilets, showers, a playground by the lagoon, and the surf club pavilion, with cafes and restaurants a short walk away on the Manly side.

Facts and Curiosities

• The Bombora: The offshore reef known as the Queenscliff Bombora throws up large waves during storms, drawing big-wave surfers and jet-ski tow teams. Dave Jackman's ride on it in 1961 is often credited with kicking off big-wave surfing in Australia.
• The Wormhole: Cut through the sandstone headland in 1908, this 40 metre tunnel links Queenscliff to Freshwater Beach. The popular story credits local fishermen looking for a shortcut, but some local historians point instead to Robert David Lewers, a Queenscliff property investor who commissioned the tunnel as part of a planned scenic walkway.
• Tide-dependent access: The rock scramble to the Wormhole only works at low tide — at high tide, the only way through is via the suburban streets.
• World Surfing Reserve: Queenscliff forms part of Manly's World Surfing Reserve, which recognises the area's surfing history and culture.