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This place holds significance to the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, the Gayamagal people. As you explore the park’s coastal bushland, via dedicated walking and bike tracks, you’ll discover diverse flora and fauna, military fortifications from World War II and signs of the nation’s early quarantine practices. Were it not for the unspoiled harbour views, it would be hard to believe you are only 11km from Sydney’s CBD.
Planning to visit? To ensure your time with us is enjoyable and hassle-free, refer to the below information ahead of your trip…
By car: From Manly, follow Darley Road onto North Head Scenic Drive and pass through the stone archway and Q Station roundabout. Continue for approx. 2km and turn left at North Fort to arrive at our visitor centre and carpark.
By bus: The 161 bus service runs from Manly Wharf to North Head. For public transport information, including timetables, visit the Transport NSW website.
Visitor Centre: Our Visitor Centre relies on the generosity and availability of our volunteers. While we endeavour to open from 10am to 3pm daily, we cannot guarantee the Centre will always be open.
Fox baiting: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is carrying out an ongoing baiting program at North Head Sanctuary to control foxes for the protection of native fauna including threatened species such as Long-nosed Bandicoots and Little Penguins. The current notification is for the period 1 February 2023 to 31 July 2023. The program uses manufactured baits, fresh baits and Canid Pest Ejectors containing 1080 poison (sodium fluoroacetate). Warning signs are located at the entries to sites being baited.
Visitors are advised not to touch the baits or ejectors. Further, pets may be affected (1080 is lethal to dogs and cats) and are not permitted at North Head Sanctuary. Working dogs must be restrained or muzzled in the vicinity and must not enter the baiting locations. Penalties apply for non-compliance. In the event of accidental poisoning, seek immediate veterinary assistance. For further information, please call the Harbour Trust on (02) 8969 2128.
Parking is available in marked spaces at North Head Sanctuary. Check signage for any fees or time limits. Subject to sign-posted time limits, parking is free of charge for motorcycles and drivers with Mobility Scheme Permits. Parking permits issued by Northern Beaches Council and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service are not valid in Harbour Trust parking areas.
Our visitor centre and carpark offer wheelchair access as well as accessible parking and toilets. Please keep in mind that North Head Sanctuary is a natural environment with uneven surfaces and that some walking tracks include stairs and medium inclines. There is a bike rack outside the visitor centre.
The Harbour Trust maintains public toilets at North Head Sanctuary, and these facilities are listed on the Department of Health’s National Public Toilet Map. The toilets available at this destination are listed below:
North Head Sanctuary is patrolled by rangers from 7am to 4pm and by security personnel from 4pm and 7am. In the event of an emergency, dial 000 or 112 if mobile reception is poor. To contact a ranger during an emergency, call 0434 652 152 (7am to 4pm). Alternatively, to contact a security officer, call 0433 631 689 (4pm to 7am).
For your own safety, and to protect the park’s flora and fauna, please remain on the dedicated walking or bike tracks when exploring the bushland and observe the following rules, enforceable by our rangers:
Conditions of entry: Do not feed wildlife; only use bikes on designated bike tracks; do not litter or dump rubbish; do not camp overnight; do not erect gazebos or marquees (without a permit); do not operate remote-controlled vehicles (including drones); do not smoke, light fires or use portable barbeques; remain on dedicated bush tracks; do not play amplified music (without a permit) or create excessive noise; do not undertake commercial activities (without a permit); do not hold private functions (without a permit); do not disturb plants, soil and rocks; do not climb walls, fortifications, sculptures or cliffs; do not ride or use skateboards, roller-skates, in line skates or similar equipment on Harbour Trust land. For further information, see: Sydney Harbour Federation Trust (SHFT) Regulations 2021
Animals: No animals, except for assistance animals (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992), are permitted to access Harbour Trust land at North Head which includes North Head Sanctuary.
Total fire bans: In the event of a total fire ban, tracks and trails will be closed for the public’s safety (penalties apply). For more information, dial 1800 679 737 for the NSW Rural Fire Service’s bush fire information line.
Looking for things to do in Sydney? North Head is a place where you can enjoy the great outdoors and learn about military history...
Key objects and landmarks have been awoken at North Head Sanctuary… and they’re eager to have a conversation with you! Introducing our 'Hello Harbour Trust' initiative.
When you next explore the area, look out for the green "hello" signs to kickstart a lively and informative conversation.
The Defence of Sydney Tour is an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the men and women who served at North Fort, a former army base that once protected Sydney Harbour. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, you will marvel at heritage gun emplacements and descend into the 200-metre-long military tunnel complex. Finally, our guide will demystify an underground bunker once shrouded in secrecy: The Plotting Room.
Established in 1881 for victims of a smallpox epidemic, the Third Quarantine Cemetery is included on Australia’s National Heritage List as a significant example of the nation’s evolving quarantine practices. During our volunteer-run Third Quarantine Cemetery Tour, a knowledgeable guide will share stories of those who succumbed to the ravages of small pox, the plague and other epidemics. Attendees will also experience the natural beauty of this final resting place, including unspoiled views of Sydney Harbour.
Feeling ambitious? Embark on the 80km Bondi to Manly Walk, a massive network of public tracks spanning the foreshore between two of Sydney’s most iconic surf beaches. By the time you reach North Head Sanctuary, and complete a lap of our scenic Sanctuary Loop, you will be on the cusp of completing a one-of-a-kind odyssey. Well done!
The North Head Sanctuary Foundation (NHSF) works with the Harbour Trust to protect, maintain and promote awareness of the park’s delicate ecosystem. This includes running guided tours, including the regular Spring Wildflower Walks.
A paved pathway featuring monuments to the major conflict periods in Australia’s history, Australia's Memorial Walk is an opportunity for reflection in an idyllic location with views of Sydney Harbour. Open seven days a week, the Memorial Walk is maintained for the community by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company (RAAHC), relying on grants, tax deductible donations and volunteer support.
The Sanctuary Loop is a circuit trail of North Head Sanctuary, which visitors can complete in under two hours. Highlights include exceptional coastal views from Third Quarantine Cemetery and Fairfax Lookout; endangered flora and fauna; diverse birdlife; decommissioned gun emplacements at North Fort; and Australia's Memorial Walk, honouring those who defended Australia during times of peace and war.
The North Head Sanctuary Foundation (NHSF) visitor centre, Bandicoot Heaven, is an opportunity for locals, students and other visitors to learn about local flora and fauna. Open Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm, Bandicoot Heaven aims to raise awareness of the sanctuary's natural environment including the endangered population of Long-nosed Bandicoots and one of Sydney’s few remaining patches of Eastern Suburbs Banksia. The volunteer-run centre is located near the Parade Ground (view on map).
You're bound to work up an appetite and a thirst exploring North Head Sanctuary. Do yourself a favour and refuel at Bella Vista...
Located near the visitor centre at North Fort, Bella Vista Café marries traditional and modern Italian cuisine with sweeping views of Sydney Harbour. In addition to serving takeaway coffee, beverages and snacks, Bella Vista offer a popular dine-in experience. Visit their website to view their trading hours and to reserve a table.
Bella Vista Café offers a dine-in experience and takeaway service daily. For trading hours, visit the venue’s website.
North Head originated during the last Ice Age when erosional forces separated it from Hornsby Plateau, transforming it into a ‘tied island’, linked to the mainland by Manly’s sandspit...
Today, North Head boasts a diversity of native flora and fauna across a range of habitats. The central area features dunes made up of wind-deposited sands dating back 140,000 years to the Pleistocene Epoch. These dunes support one of Sydney’s few remaining patches of Eastern Suburbs Banksia. Other vegetation types include heathland, littoral rainforest and wetland as well as ferns and colourful wildflowers.
North Head is a refuge for echidnas, reptiles, frogs and more than 100 species of bird, including the Little Wattlebird, the New Holland Honeyeater and the White-browed Scrubwren.
It is also home to an endangered population of Long-nosed Bandicoots, once common throughout Sydney, as well as locally extinct species including the Eastern Pygmy Possum, Brown Antechinus, and Bush Rat.
To learn more about local flora and fauna, visit Bandicoot Heaven, a community-run education centre run by the North Head Sanctuary Foundation. Located in the Barracks Precinct, the centre is open from 10am to 4pm every Saturday and Sunday. The Foundation also operates a native plant nursery that propagates local species. To date, over 15,000 plants have been planted.
Traditionally known as Car-rang-gel, North Head has enduring significance for the Gayamagal People and occupies a notable place in the nation’s quarantine and military narratives...
North Head was the backdrop for some of the earliest interactions between Aboriginal People and Europeans. Between 1881 and 1925, the area was used to quarantine people suffering from deadly epidemic diseases and it also served as their final resting place. During World War II, military fortifications at North Head formed part of a defence system that spanned 300km of coastline.
[Image credit: The Quarantine Burial Ground, Spring Cove, Manly, George French Angas (1822-1886), National Library of Australia.]
The Harbour Trust has partnered with Google Arts & Culture on a collection of immersive digital exhibitions that showcase our heritage destinations on Sydney Harbour. The Secret Military History of Manly's North Fort Plotting Room demystifies an underground wartime bunker once shrouded in secrecy and celebrates the efforts by our specialist volunteers to faithfully restore it.
Visit overview
Cockatoo Island
Headland Park
Macquarie Lightstation
Marine Biological Station
North Head Sanctuary
Sub Base Platypus
Woolwich Dock and Parklands
