Seven Miles from Sydney, Seven Sins a plenty!
From A$48 per person
Seven Miles from Sydney, Seven Sins a plenty! is a 3-hour tour available by appointment, suitable for all ages. It costs $48 AUD per person, runs in small groups of up to 6, and meets at Circular Quay, Wharf 3, with start times arranged directly with the operator. Ferry fare is not included in the tour price.
About This Tour
Beautiful beach. Shocking history. Manly has been keeping secrets for a very long time.
Dark Secrets Beneath the Waves — Manly's Sinister Side
From the water, Manly looks like a postcard. Golden sand, sparkling harbour, Norfolk Island pines lining the esplanade, families and surfers and cafes spilling onto the promenade. It is, by any measure, one of the most beautiful places in Sydney.
It is also one of the most soaked in scandal, crime, and outright darkness of any suburb in the country. And we mean that as the highest possible compliment.
Your adventure begins at Circular Quay, where you board the legendary Manly Ferry for one of the great harbour crossings of the world. Thirty minutes across the most beautiful harbour on earth, with your guide pointing out the landmarks, the history, and the stories that most ferry passengers sail straight past without ever knowing. This crossing alone is worth the trip.
Then we arrive at Manly, and things get interesting.
Behind the beach-town charm and the fish and chips and the bronzed lifeguards is a history so dark, so strange, and so thoroughly buried that most people who have lived here their whole lives don't know it exists. Murder. Corruption. Duels fought at dawn over matters of honour that turned out to be anything but honourable. Characters so outrageous and so thoroughly forgotten by official history that you'll find yourself wondering why no one made a series about this place.
Your guide will walk you through it all, stopping at the actual sites where these stories unfolded, pointing out the unique photography opportunities that only a local would know to find, and delivering the kind of warts-and-all account that Manly's tourist office would absolutely prefer you didn't hear.
The tour concludes at an accredited Aboriginal Art gallery, where the story of this land goes back far deeper than colonial scandal, and where the artwork on the walls connects you to a culture that has called this coastline home for tens of thousands of years.
One trip. One ferry crossing. One beach with a double life. Come and find out what Manly has been hiding.
Exclusions
- Items of a personal nature
- Tips or gratuities for guides (Not compulsory but welcome)
- Meals and drinks
- Bottled Water
What's Included
- Your own local English-speaking guide for the full harbour crossing and walking tour
- Visit to an accredited Aboriginal Dreamtime Fine Art Gallery on The Corso
- A digital tour record including a 3D map of everywhere you walked and downloadable photos taken by your guide
- A digital copy of the 100% Ridgy-Didge Aussie Slang Survival Guide (Volume 1)
What To Expect
Enjoy a private Sydney Harbour commentary aboard the iconic Manly Ferry before you even set foot in the suburb. Discover the dark and deeply buried criminal history hiding beneath Manly's sun-drenched, postcard-perfect surface. Hear the warts-and-all stories of the Manly characters that official history quietly buried and hoped nobody would ask about. Find the unique photography spots along the beachfront and foreshore that only a local guide would take you to. Finish at an accredited Aboriginal Dreamtime Fine Art Gallery and connect with a culture whose story of this coastline goes back 60,000 years.
Itinerary Highlights
- Enjoy a private Sydney Harbour commentary aboard the iconic Manly Ferry before you even set foot in the suburb
- Discover the dark and deeply buried criminal history hiding beneath Manly's sun-drenched, postcard-perfect surface
- Hear the warts-and-all stories of the Manly characters that official history quietly buried and hoped nobody would ask about
- Find the unique photography spots along the beachfront and foreshore that only a local guide would take you to
- Finish at an accredited Aboriginal Dreamtime Fine Art Gallery and connect with a culture whose story of this coastline goes back 60,000 years
Tour Schedule
| Days | By appointment |
| Starts | Arranged at booking |
| Duration | 2 Hours |
| Meeting Point | Circular Quay, Wharf 3 (ferry fare not included) |
| Ending Point | Aboriginal Dreamtime Fine Art Gallery, The Corso, Manly NSW 2095 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this tour bookable online?
It's available by appointment — enquire directly to arrange a time.
Where do we meet?
Circular Quay, Wharf 3.
Is the ferry fare included?
No, ferry fare is not included in the tour price and is paid separately.
