The Manly-Freshwater National Surfing Reserve located just north of the entrance to Sydney Harbour has a long history of surfing firsts. Way back it was named by Governor Phillip in 1788 when he commented on the ‘manly’ appearance of the local Guringai tribe. It also lays claim to Australia’s body surfing in 1880’s, the overturning of the ban on daylight surf bathing in 1902, the first professional lifeguard in 1904, the first ‘surf boat’ in 1907, first surf life saving club at Manly in 1907 and Freshwater in 1908, the first body surfing competition in 1908, the first surf movie ‘Surf Sports at Manly’ in 1909, the first demonstration of board surfing by Duke Kahanamoku at Freshwater Beach in 1914, the first surfing of the
Queenscliff bombie by Dave Jackman in 1961, and the first World Surfing Championships in 1964. In addition the reserve has four surf life saving clubs at Freshwater, Queenscliff, North Steyne and Manly, with the first surf carnival held in 1907. Manly-Freshwater can truly claim to be the birthplace of Australian surfing. When combined with its abundant and consistent surf it has all the makings of a National Surfing Reserve. The reserve was dedicated on 25 September 2010. It has gone on to become a World Surfing Reserve dedicated on 10 March 2012, the third in the world and first in Australia.
Before all this started the area was home of the Guringai people who hunted and fished the area and no doubt also enjoyed the surf. The first surfboard to appear on the beach was inn1909 when a board from Hawaii was brought back and copied to make a few more. By 1912 the local surfers were skilful enough to put on a demonstration at a Freshwater surf carnival. Then the Duke came along an showed them how to really surf. The through the 1920’s local legend “Snowy’ McAlsiter put on demonstrations at Manly, Bondi and Newcastle and was till surfing in the 1960s. Since the beach has produced a number of world champions.
Midget Farrelly won the first World Surfing Championships at Manly in 1964, Stuart Entwistle was World Long Boad Champion in 1987, Barton Lynch was World Surfing Champion in 1988, Pam Burridge in 1990 and Layne Beachley won seven world titles between in 1998 and 2006. There are also four boardridng clubs: the Manly Pacific Boardriders, the Manly Malibu Boardriders, Freshwater Longboard and Queenscliff
Boardriders.
The Manly Freshwater NSR extends from Harbord Headland to Fairy Bower including in between Freshwater Beach, the continuous Queenscliff, North Steyne, Manly and South Steyne beach, Shelly Beach and Fairy Bower. Freshwater, Queenscliff, North Steyne, Manly and South Steyne all have wide surf zones and offer beach breaks separated by rip channels, with good wave usually found somewhere along the beaches. The Queenscliff bombie lies off Queenscliff Beach and breaks best in a good size NE swell, offering lefts and rights. Out on the point at the south end at three rocky points beaks: Fairy Bower is a rocky point break that can hold to several meters, a little further round is Winkipop another point break, and finally when its big is Deadman’s that breaks close to the rocks and as the name suggests is a dangerous tubing slab only for the very experience surfer.
