The Manly Dam Loop is one of the most popular bushwalking and cycling tracks in Sydney’s north, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Which makes it the kind of trail I usually avoid like the plague… but in search of a late afternoon stroll to catch-up with a friend from Canberra, it fitted the bill nicely. And turned out to be a very pleasant bushwalk, where we encountered only a handful of people and some nice scenery.
Being a loop walk there are many places you can start – unfortunately most of them come with outrageous parking fees, unless you have a resident permit. The walk across the dam is closed overnight (from 8:30pm during Daylight Savings Time and 5:30pm for the rest of the year), so if you’re doing this walk late afternoon it’s best to start with this section of the walk, parking near the Manly Dam Picnic Area (or one of the nerby streets to avoid the parking fees).
From the Manly Dam Picnic Area the trail goes across the dam wall, which was built in 1892 and expanded in 1909 and 1922 before being decommissioned as a primary water source by 1933. The pioneering concrete gravity dam was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 18 November 1999.
In 1892, Curl Curl Creek was dammed to create a deep, freshwater lake known as Manly Reservoir. The dam was created to provide a permanent supply of fresh water for the village of Manly. Supply from Manly Dam was turned on by W J Lyne, Minister for Public Works on 4 February 1892. The Dam could hold 100,000,000 gallons of fresh water. The engineer-in-chief was C J Darley.
The dam was 280 feet long, and 42 feet high, of which 5 feet was cut into the solid rock. The thickness at the base was 28 feet. The engine-house had 4 Fielding and Platt pumping-engines. It fed the service reservoir at Red Hill (Sydney Road, Fairlight). The dam cost £24,795 to build, plus some £4,500 to resume the land.
A Brief History of Manly Dam
The Manly Dam Loop track ascends gently above the artificial lake, offering a view back over the dam wall.
There are a few people paddling in the lake at the Water Skiing Area, which was established in 1947 with the Manly & Warringah Water Ski Club (this is another spot where you could access the Park Circuit Track).
The trail leaves the lake foreshore as it meanders through the bushland, leaving all signs of suburbia behind.
While part of the Manly Dam Loop is on shared bushwalking and mountain-biking trails, this section is for walkers only, on steel and timber boardwalk. All of the bushland around Manly Dam is part of the Manly Warringah War Memorial State Park.
The Manly Dam Loop bushwalking trail merges with the Mountain Bike Trail, as it becomes a wide service trail.
There’s a steep-ish ascent before an even steeper descent to Curl Curl Creek (“curl curl” is is believed to derive from the Aboriginal phrase “curial curial”, meaning “river of life”) which was renamed Manly Creek in the late 19th century.
The bushwalking and mountain biking trails diverge again here, with the walking trail closely following Manly Creek.
This is my favourite section of the Manly Dam Loop; while there are some short sections of boardwalk, the trail is fairly “natural” and undeveloped.
There are a series of small cascades and pools along Manly Creek.
About halfway along the creek is a picturesque (unnnamed) waterfall, which drops into a fern-lined pool.
There’s one more pool, before Manly Creek flows into Manly Dam, and the Manly Dam Loop trail follows the edge of the lake through sandstone heath.
What makes the Manly Dam Loop so enjoyable is both the feeling of seclusion despite being so close to suburbia, and the remarkable diversity of vegetation. The Manly Dam catchment has over 1,120 species of plants across seven vegetation communities, including three NSW-listed vulnerable species (Glandular Pink-bell, Curved rice-flower and Large duck orchid), two endangered (Magenta lilly pilly or Syzygium paniculatun and Hibbertia superans) and one critically endangered species (Seaforth Mintbush or Prostanthera mariflora).
The trail reaches another popular secrion of Manly Dam with picnic areas and a lot more over-priced parking – and some nice views over the lake.
There is a short section of road-walking between the picnic areas, before the last section of elevated trail along the edge of the lake.
Near one of the picnic areas is a intriguing engraving site with a number of figures that appear to be of European origin; a short detour goes to a low shelter with Aboriginal hand stencils.
We complete the Manly Dam Loop just as the sun drops below the horizon.
It’s taken just under three hours, with few side trips and detours – if you stick to main Park Circuit Track ir’s an easy two-hour walk (if you’re mountain biking it’s a slightly longer 10-11km loop).
Getting to the Manly Dam Loop (and where to park)
The main paid parking area that provides access to the Manly Dam Loop (or Park Circuit Track) is at the end of King Street in Manly Vale. There is also a signposted parking area at the end of Nyrang Road in Allambie Heights, where there is a short walk down to the Park Circuit Track. You can easily avoid the steep carpark fees by parking along one of the nearby roads, including the end of King Street or Arana St (Manly Vale) or towards the end of Nyrang Road (Allambie Heights).
If you are planning to combine your Manly Dam bushwalk with a picnic… even the picnic tables (which need to be pre-booked online) come with a hefty fee…
More information
- Manly Dam Track and Trail Map [PDF]
- Manly Library Local Studies – A Brief History of Manly Dam / Download PDF
- Manly Dam Biodiversity Project – Plants
0 Comments