Walking along the Manly scenic walkway might not be the quickest way to get to Manly, but it is definitely the prettiest. And now you can get there a little easier, with large sections of upgraded paths, new handrails, 21 sandstone, and six hand-carved steps along the way.

Some 2.6 million people visit the Northern Beaches every year and a huge percentage of them, as well as many locals, take a stroll along this famous pathway from The Spit Bridge to Manly. It is a well-loved and very well-worn path. Some sections were suffering from overuse, had tree roots becoming trip hazards, and were slippery and waterlogged following rain.

Contractors installed FRB boardwalks in some sections and filled other paths with crushed sandstone after tree roots and rocks were removed. Twenty-one, quarter-tonne sandstone blocks were delivered to the tricky site by barging them onto Clontarf Beach. They were then lifted 15 metres up the cliff face to the path. A power carrier and ropes were used to lift, but it required mostly brute strength from the contractors on site. Work has now finished at the site, but there would have been a few sore bodies around the Beaches for a little while after construction was completed!

Check out the:

• 700m of upgraded paths (Ogilvy Rd Entry to Clontarf Beach)
• 21 new sandstone steps
• 6 steps carved into the existing rock face
• 10m of polished marine-grade handrail (to be installed in January)