Store Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Manly, with clear calm water and a large sweep of golden sand backed by dense bush. On a bright sunny day it has tropical vibes, yet it’s one of the quieter beaches in the area and that’s probably because it’s widely touted that you can only reach it by boat. We decided to ignore that advice and see if we could get there on foot. Not only can you walk there, it’s actually quite easy!
So here’s how to reach the stunning Store Beach on foot.
The walk to Store Beach
The stats
Distance: 750m each way
Elevation gain: 20m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate due to rock hopping
Trailhead: Little Manly Car Park
Summary: The walk to Store Beach is almost entirely flat, but once you leave Collins Beach there is no longer a path. From here you will need to rock hop to Store Beach, which can be done easily a couple of hours either side of low tide.
Beaches in the harbour don’t usually have a big swell and the day we walked, it was slight, which is pretty common, so you shouldn’t have an issue.
It is mainly rock hopping, with just a couple of larger rocks to climb up and over.
Starting the trail: to Collins Beach
We began our walk at the Little Manly car park, which offers four hours free parking and has a lot of spaces. You could begin at Collins Beach car park, but if like us, you’re walking on a weekend you’d be lucky to find a space here.
From Little Manly car park you head to the southern side of the car park and cross over the road, onto the footpath.
Just before the footpath you’ll see Manly’s infamous Jump Rock, which had queues of people waiting to jump when we passed by. It’s known as a risky jump though and we don’t personally recommend it.
Continuing onto the footpath and you’ll head along a well maintained paved track. Roughly 150m from the car park you’ll get a gorgeous view of Collins Beach on the right. The water looks incredible from here and has real summertime vibes, as there’s almost always people swimming and paddle boarding.
At the 280m mark you’ll head down a set of stairs to the beach. You’ll arrive at Collins Beach 310m after leaving the car park.
It’s a pretty beach with calm water, though it does get busy on weekends. If you cross the beach and look to your left, at the far end of the beach you’ll see the small Collins Beach waterfall.
There’s usually some flow year round, but it’s best after plenty of rain.
Rock hopping to Store Beach
From the end of Collins Beach you begin the rock hop. This needs to be done a couple of hours either side of low tide to make sure you don’t get cut off.
It’s a mix of small and larger rocks which you need to pick your way over. About 50m in there’s a large boulder, but it’s easy to climb up behind it.
Generally speaking, none of this first section is slippery, though I always treat it like it will be. That’s probably why our watch measured the rock hop on the way out to be 450m and the way back just 360m - I definitely had more confidence coming back!
You’ll soon reach a large rock platform, which is popular with rock fishers, and from here there’s an easy 100m stretch of smoother rock before the tedious rock hopping continues!
Roughly 40m later the rocks get very close to the water and even at low tide you would have to get wet feet if you continued at shore level.
We decided to scramble over the large rock instead of heading through the water. The rock is quite grippy when dry.
There’s a little more of the small rocks to cross and then to your left you’ll see a cave.
It’s not so much a cave as a large sandstone window which perfectly frames Store Beach. It’s a great natural feature, though sadly it has been heavily graffitied and there was evidence of a recent campfire.
It’s such a shame as it’s a gorgeous spot otherwise.
After passing through the window you have less than 50m to go to reach Store Beach. We decided to cut right, onto the oyster covered rocks, as the damp rocks on the left were slippery. And on that note: don’t attempt this walk barefoot. There are way too many sharp shells and barnacles!
You’ll then hit the sand 750m after leaving the car park, though as mentioned, the stats read 90m more than this on the way out, so it will be there or thereabouts!
Store Beach
Store Beach is a real beauty, the sand is golden and the water is very blue and clear close to shore. I love the dense bushland behind the beach which always makes it feel so much more wild. It’s 200m long, though it almost feels like there are two beaches.
The initial long stretch and then a smaller one at the far end, which isn’t completely cut off by rocks, but feels separate. All of it stunning.
The water is great for swimming with hardly any waves.
If you’re visiting on a weekend you very likely won’t be alone as it is a popular spot for people to boat over to, or you can hire a kayak in Manly and paddle over.
We also saw a couple of people come over from Collins Beach on inflatable stand up paddle boards.
So in short, whilst very few people hike across, you’d have to be lucky to be there alone.
However, it was nowhere near as busy as any other beach in the Manly area, and we did find that people often came briefly onto the beach from a boat, but didn’t stay long. So we did have times where the main beach was empty.
If you are able to come midweek that would be ideal, but it’s not too bad on a weekend (all things considered), especially as we visited in the middle of the day in summer.
When you’re ready to leave the beach you simply retrace your steps back to Collins Beach, making sure you leave enough time tides-wise.
Little penguins at Store Beach
Store Beach is a key nesting site for Little penguins and whilst they go out to sea during the day, they come back to the beach to nest each evening.
For this reason you cannot visit Store Beach at sunrise or after sunset to allow safe passage back to their nests as they do spook easily. The beach is also part of Sydney Harbour National Park and no dogs are permitted here.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Getting to Store Beach
If you’re coming by car you can park at the Collins Beach car park, you can find it here on Google maps. If you can’t get a space there you can park at Little Manly Reserve car park and follow the route as described above.
If you’re coming by public transport, you can walk from Manly Wharf which adds on an additional 1.2km each way.
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