Manly Dam

A stunning leisurely walk that loops around the Dam. Some uphill and rocky sections requiring reliable and strong walking/hiking shoes. Serene stillness amongst the abundant native flora and fauna. Be serenaded by frogs and birdlife. Free parking available in King St before the entry gate.

What a place to visit & appreciate interaction with nature, thanks to a man-made structure! Great picnic facilities with barbecue areas & also clean public amenities. Good walking tracks which are kept as natural as possible. Fantastic place to spend a wonderful sunny day.

TIP: If you arrive after 2pm, go anticlockwise and cross over the dam itself first otherwise you could be walking around by torchlight!That's what happened to us. We wanted a family walk around the lake but travelled clockwise. We arrived to the dam crossing after 5.30pm and the gates had shut. It was already pretty dark at that stage (not daylight savings time). We backtracked and went another way to where the car was parked. Completely dark, we had to use the light from our phones to navigate the terrain. A bit of an adventure. Kids thought it was exciting but where quite tired so were keen to get the car and didn't appreciate the extra walk required.

Manly Dam is beautiful and boasts many lovely bushwalks and bike trails.There is also a small, gated park catering for around 3yrs and up, partly shaded with a beautiful view of the Dam.There are plenty of shaded picnic tables and grassy areas surrounding the park.BBQ facilities availableClean restrooms.Parking is paid or residential/ NB council sticker

A relaxing walk. Easy enough for school age kids. Track and picnic areas are well maintained. Only downside is that the walk itself is pretty boring. A couple of small stream crossings and mini waterfalls, but apart from that it was mostly km after km of bush.

Nice area to go for a picnic and a swim. Plenty of walks around the dam water too. Nice area to enjoy nature.

Lovely hike, feels like you’re much farther removed from the city than you are! There are bathrooms and water refill stations near the parking lot, which btw you need to pay for by the hour. We didn’t know how long the trail would take and only put in 1 hr unfortunately so needed to cut our hike short. I suggest to put in 3-4 hrs if you plan to do the whole loop to the waterfall etc. Otherwise you can park in the neighborhood nearby for free but it’s a wee bit more of a walk to get there. Saw cool black swans when i was there!

A nice park with plenty of picnic area and tables. Quite a lot of ticketed parking inside the park but I would get there early to get this. The walk is a good one with some steep sections. A lot of mud and scramble sections with others on fire trail and boardwalks. Needs additional signage on the track and some sections you have to walk on roadway which can be dangerous when busy. Bring everything. Some toilet blocks available.

It's a nice mtb trail that i am more than happy to drive an hour from home. It has various difficulty levels, enough climb and down hills combination that made it fun to ride.

Nice little Dam, good picnic areas and facilities, nice bush walk around and mountain bike track but could certainly do with more signage on the track! Friendly rangers. Nice day out