Community, multiplicity and beauty. Manly is a true urban village with a district local character. Despite being a busy tourist precinct, the area is defined by a number of cultural groups including surfies, suburban hipsters and backpackers who fuel a sense of trendiness and a visible arts scene. Manly has a remarkable diversity of activities and features all on a walkable scale. It has both a stunning surf beach and a quaint harbour, an active café/dining culture with quiet corners and relaxed promenades. The town is both urban and modern while maintaining its Victorian seaside charm. No matter what the weather is doing, Manly is upliftingly beautiful. The natural beauty of the water, rocks and views to bushland, rows of noble Norfolk Pines, Art Deco shopfronts and the high speck redevelopment of the Corso are visually congenial.

Like so many urban areas, traffic is the real detractor. A busy junction disconnects the town from the wharf and a road running parallel to the beach has an unpleasant presence. If car parking was concentrated on the northern side of the Corso perhaps less traffic would cut through the town.