A well-known takeaway near Manly’s Queenscliff Beach has announced it will close after more than two decades in business, marking the end of a long-running local burger shop.
Salty Rooster, located on Collingwood Avenue in Queenscliff near Manly, confirmed its final day of trade will be Sunday, 8 March 2026.
The announcement was shared through a public post and a notice placed at the shop. The message explained the closure would occur after more than 20 years of operation and noted that circumstances outside the operators’ control had led to the decision.
Customers were encouraged to visit the shop during its final week to purchase a last meal and farewell the business.
Business Began In Narrabeen In 2005
Salty Rooster first opened in Narrabeen in 2005, specialising in chicken burgers before later operating its Queenscliff site opposite Queenscliff Beach near Manly.
Over time the takeaway became a familiar stop for local surfers, teenagers and school students in the area. Students from nearby Stella Maris Secondary College were also among regular customers.
The business was known for employing local high school and university students in part-time roles and supporting community activities including amateur sporting teams and surfing events.
The business was established by Jimmy Sagiotis, who died in October 2023 at the age of 48.
After his death, family members continued operating the shop in an effort to maintain the business he created. Public messages shared by the operators said continuing the business had been challenging but efforts had been made to carry on the legacy he left behind.
Mr Sagiotis had earlier experienced personal tragedy when his wife died suddenly in 2017, leaving two young sons. Following that loss he established a charitable foundation known as Things To Do With Kidz, which supported families dealing with grief and hardship.
Online responses to the closure announcement described the takeaway as an important part of Northern Beaches life.
Former employees and customers shared memories of working at the shop or visiting it regularly during school years, reflecting its long connection with the community around Manly and Queenscliff.
The closure also comes about seven months after another Manly burger outlet, BenBry Burgers, shut its doors for financial reasons.
Final Days For Salty Rooster
Salty Rooster said its last day of trade will be Sunday, 8 March 2026, bringing to a close more than two decades of operation between Narrabeen and Queenscliff.
Manly is moving closer to establishing itself as a Special Entertainment Precinct of Sydney, with community feedback now being formally sought on an 18-month trial of extended trading hours, live music provisions and tailored noise management along the iconic Corso.
The trial, backed by $173,760 in Kickstart Grant funding, is scheduled to begin in spring 2026. It will allow businesses to trade until midnight early in the week and 2am from Thursday to Saturday, with venues offering at least 45 minutes of live performance eligible for further incentives. For the hospitality operators, musicians and late-night venues that have long argued Manly’s after-dark potential has been squandered by inflexible planning rules, the trial represents the most concrete opportunity in years to reshape what the suburb looks like after sunset.
What the Entertainment Precinct Trial Will Deliver
The Special Entertainment Precinct framework, introduced as part of broader NSW vibrancy reforms, allows local authorities to set unified trading hours and sound criteria across a defined area through a single Precinct Management Plan. That plan overrides existing conditions on development consents and liquor licences within the zone, removing the expensive and time-consuming process individual venues have traditionally faced when seeking to extend their hours or add live music. A bookshop wanting to stay open until midnight, a cafe wanting to host a jazz trio, and a bar wanting to run late-night sets all benefit equally without separate approvals.
Photo Credit: NSW authorities
Acoustic testing is currently underway to guide the development of the Precinct Management Plan, which will set clear sound criteria appropriate to Manly’s coastal context and the mix of residential and commercial properties along the Corso. Sound management for licensed venues within the precinct falls to Liquor and Gaming NSW, while unlicensed venues sit under the authority responsible for the precinct. A clear, streamlined complaints process will sit alongside those arrangements so residents have confidence that extended trading and live music come with genuine accountability.
The proposed entertainment precinct boundary covers blocks where licensed venues are already concentrated, deliberately avoiding areas that are predominantly residential. Properties within the precinct boundary are shaded on the consultation map available on the Your Say Northern Beaches platform.
Why Manly Is a Natural Fit
Manly already carries significant weight as a night-time destination. Twenty-seven per cent of all jobs in the suburb connect to the 24-hour economy, a proportion that reflects how deeply hospitality, entertainment and tourism already underpin the area’s economic identity. During the Manly Place Plan consultation in 2024, community feedback was consistent: Manly’s nightlife needs a broader variety of activities. Residents and visitors called specifically for more family-friendly late options, outdoor dining, live music, busking, markets and cultural programming, not just bars and clubs.
The suburb’s history supports the ambition. Manly venues were part of the fabric of Australian live music for decades, and the Corso once drew crowds who came specifically to see and be seen after dark. That energy faded alongside tightening trading restrictions and a shift towards residential development along the waterfront. The entertainment precinct trial is designed to revive it, and this time with the planning framework built to last.
Prominent local hospitality operator Matt Clifton, whose Saga Group runs InSitu, The Cumberland, Donny’s Bar and Henry G’s across Manly, has backed the entertainment precinct concept and frames the challenge clearly: cafes and restaurants trading into the early hours is entirely reasonable for a precinct of this kind, provided noise mitigation measures accompany any higher-impact activity. Finding that workable balance between residents and businesses, he argues, is both achievable and necessary.
Part of a Broader Sydney Revival
Manly is one of 20 areas across NSW now moving towards Special Entertainment Precinct status, joining Cronulla, Rozelle, Marrickville, Fairfield and others in a state-wide push to rebuild night-time economies neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Sydney’s broader night-time economy is valued at $110 billion annually, and the vibrancy reforms driving the Special Entertainment Precinct model have already drawn more than 521 venues across NSW into extended trading hour arrangements for live music programming. The abolition of Sydney’s remaining lockout laws in January 2026 removed the final structural barrier that had suppressed inner-city and suburban nightlife for more than a decade, creating the most favourable conditions for live music and late-night hospitality in years.
Future home buyers and tenants who purchase or rent within the precinct boundary will receive notification that they are entering a designated nightlife zone, an approach designed to prevent the pattern of residents moving into entertainment areas and then objecting to the very activity that defined the area before they arrived.
Have Your Say Before the Trial Begins
Community feedback on the proposed entertainment precinct boundary and Precinct Management Plan is open now. Residents, business owners, venue operators, musicians and performers are all encouraged to contribute, with the feedback directly shaping the sound criteria and maximum trading hours that will govern the trial. After 12 months of operation, the community will be consulted again on whether the entertainment precinct should become permanent.
A nearly 170-year-old sandstone kangaroo statue overlooking the seaside suburb of Manly has been badly damaged by vandals, leaving the landmark without its head and much of its upper body and prompting renewed local discussion about protecting heritage items in public spaces.
The damage was discovered over the weekend, 15 February, when locals reported the statue’s head had been pushed or hacked off and parts of its torso broken apart. Fragments of the historic carving were later found scattered along nearby Kangaroo Street.
Community Reaction and Response
The sandstone figure, which stands about two metres tall on a hill overlooking Manly Beach, has been part of the suburb’s landscape since the mid-1800s. The statue was commissioned by property developer Henry Gilbert Smith, often credited with playing a major role in Manly’s early development. Local historical records say the work is credited to photographer Charles Percy Pickering and stonemason Thomas Youll.
A descendant of Mr Pickering was distressed after visiting the site and seeing the damage. Earlier, there were observations that the kangaroo’s head appeared to have been turned in recent months.
Northern Beaches Council staff inspected the site and sought specialist advice on whether it can be repaired. Mayor Sue Heins said they have engaged specialists to advise whether the historic sculpture could be restored. The matter was reported to the police.
Local sources commonly describe the site as a popular lookout used by locals and visitors, offering sweeping views of the coastline. Local reporting has described it as a regular meeting place for people watching sunrises.
The Northern Beaches Council’s Recollect local studies archive records the sculpture as a notable Manly landmark. A council-era public art listing also includes the stone kangaroo among Manly’s outdoor artworks.
Donnie Sellin, a cherished figure across northern beaches sport for more than five decades, has passed away at age 81, leaving the Manly Warringah District Cricket Club at Manly Oval and Warringah Rats Rugby Club deeply saddened by the loss of one of their most dedicated volunteers.
Known affectionately as “Dollars,” Sellin dedicated his life to two of the region’s biggest sporting organizations while working for approximately 40 years at the Dee Why Post Office. His passion, loyalty and colourful personality made him an institution at Manly Oval on the corner of Sydney Road and Belgrave Street, the recreational showpiece of the northern beaches.
The cricket club hailed “Dollars” as an immense part of their community for more than five decades. A Life Member who touched the lives of countless players, he was a permanent fixture as net captain and a mainstay in the scorer’s box, not just for third and fifth grade, but across every level of the pathway over the years. His presence at Manly Oval, the recreational showpiece of the Northern Beaches, was as much a part of the landscape as the Norfolk Pines themselves.
From Manly Oval to Rat Park
Sellin’s sporting dedication extended beyond cricket to Warringah Rats Rugby Club, where he served as official timekeeper and scorer from the late 1960s through to 2002. Each year, as soon as cricket season wrapped up at Manly Oval, Sellin would appear at Pittwater Rugby Park in Warriewood the following weekend, ready to resume his timekeeping duties.
He attended every Rats game from fourth grade through first grade, both home ad away, becoming part of the fabric of the club despite never lacing up football boots. His commitment to rugby earned him recognition when the Australian Rugby Union invited him to be official timekeeper for a Wallabies match in the late 1980s
A Life Dedicated to Northern Beaches Sport
Sellin worked for approximately 40 years at the Dee Why Post Office while devoting his free time to supporting sport across the northern beaches. His passion, loyalty and colourful personality made him a popular figure among players, officials and supporters at both Manly Oval and Rat Park.
Colleagues and friends remember Sellin for his banter and willingness to share frank opinions about team performance. He particularly enjoyed recalling every minute of Warringah’s first grand final against Randwick, passionately arguing why the Rats should have won.
Community Farewell
Ill health in recent years prevented Sellin from joining his mates for beers at either club, forcing him to rely on phone calls to keep up with news from Manly Oval and Rat Park. Despite stepping back from active involvement, he remained connected to the sporting communities he had served for so long.
A celebration of Donnie Sellin’s life will be held at Manly Bowling Club, overlooking his beloved Manly Oval, on Friday, February 27, from 4pm. A formal RSVP is not required, with both sporting communities expected to gather in tribute to a man who exemplified volunteer spirit and dedication to northern beaches sport.
The resident of Iluka Avenue contacted NSW Police shortly before 5.30pm on Tuesday, 10 February, after finding several small resealable plastic bags containing a white powder in their mailbox.
Officers from Northern Beaches Police Area Command responded to the address and seized the suspicious package, which consisted of multiple small bags contained within a larger resealable plastic bag.
Laboratory testing has since confirmed the substance was cocaine.
Police believe the drugs were either intended for a different recipient or had been ditched by someone attempting to avoid detection. Authorities have not yet determined how the package ended up in the letterbox.
The quantity of cocaine discovered is considered an indictable amount under NSW law. According to the Drug Misuse and Trafficking Act 1985, possession of an indictable quantity of cocaine can result in penalties of up to 15 years’ imprisonment and fines reaching $220,000 if prosecuted in the District Court.
Northern Beaches detectives have launched an investigation into the incident and are appealing for information from the public.
Anyone with details about the source of the package is urged to contact Manly Police Station on 02 9976 8099 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information provided to Crime Stoppers can be given anonymously.
Passengers using the free Hop, Skip and Jump bus in Manly are now required to wear clothing over swimwear, with drivers permitted to refuse entry to those boarding shirtless or in bikinis.
The Hop, Skip and Jump community bus, funded and operated by NBC, operates around Manly and nearby suburbs including Fairlight and Balgowlah. The circular route connects key local stops such as Balgowlah Village shopping centre, Manly Wharf and beach areas including Manly Cove and Little Manly Beach.
New signage has been installed near Little Manly Beach advising passengers to dress appropriately and wear clothing over swimwear while travelling on the service.
The service operates as an accredited regular passenger service under the Passenger Transport (General) Regulation 2017.
Under the regulation, a driver may refuse to carry a passenger if their behaviour, condition or clothing is likely to dirty or damage the vehicle, or cause inconvenience to other passengers or the driver. The NBC has indicated this may include wet or sandy clothing that affects cleanliness in the shared transport environment. Drivers may also refuse entry if the bus becomes overcrowded.
Complaints About Hygiene And Comfort
The change follows complaints from passengers about hygiene and comfort on the 30-seat buses. Concerns included wet swimwear and sand leaving seats damp or dirty after beach trips.
Feedback from some older passengers also referenced discomfort with swimwear styles in the confined bus setting.
The existing published Service Code of Conduct for the Hop, Skip and Jump bus outlines behavioural expectations, including no eating, drinking or smoking, and restrictions on large objects when the bus is full. The clothing-over-swimwear requirement is not yet listed in the published code.
The decision has prompted mixed reactions online. Some commenters supported the measure on hygiene grounds, citing concerns about wet or sandy seats.
Others questioned where the line should be drawn, noting that beachwear is common in coastal suburbs such as Manly and raising broader discussion about appropriate attire on public transport.
Ruby Riethmuller, listed among finalists connected to the Manly to Barrenjoey peninsula, has been named a finalist in the NSW Community Hero category at the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards.
Ruby Riethmuller is the founder and CEO of Womn-Kind, a national social enterprise established in 2020 to expand access to preventative and low-intensity mental health support for young people. The organisation delivers wellbeing workshops in schools and provides digital support through the Womn-Kind App.
Raised on a farm in regional New South Wales, Riethmuller has focused on improving access to timely and inclusive mental health services, particularly for girls and gender-diverse youth. Her work centres on prevention and early intervention, with an emphasis on ensuring young people in regional, rural and remote communities can access comparable support to their metropolitan peers.
Womn-Kind describes its approach as strengths-based and largely preventative. The organisation delivers services both in-person and online, aiming to provide support in an accessible and relatable format.
Womn-Kind reports it has supported more than 30,000 young people, with over 7,000 engaging with its services daily across Australia and in 37 countries.
The organisation combines allied health professionals with trained mentors who bring lived experience to its programs. It also operates a National Youth Leadership Panel designed to strengthen youth participation in mental health conversations and initiatives.
Womn-Kind states that a significant proportion of young females aged 12 to 24 experience mental health challenges, and that most mental illnesses develop before the age of 25. Its programs are positioned within this early intervention framework.
In addition to leading Womn-Kind, Riethmuller serves as Deputy Commissioner (Lived Experience) at the Mental Health Commission of NSW. She is also a member of the NSW Rural Women’s Network Advisory Group.
She has been listed as a 2026 NSW Young Australian of the Year nominee and has previously been recognised as a finalist in the Commonwealth Youth Award and the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.
Riethmuller is one of 31 women and girls announced as finalists in the 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards, with the announcement made on 4 February 2026.
The NSW Community Hero category recognises an extraordinary woman who contributes to the prosperity of her local community.
Now in its 14th year, the awards program highlights women and girls across New South Wales who are making contributions through leadership, advocacy and service. Recipients across five categories will be revealed on Thursday 5 March at the International Convention Centre Sydney.
Dozens of resilient locals continued their morning exercise routines at the Manly Beach harbour enclosure despite the sudden appearance of a shark trapped within the swimming area.
The incident began on Wednesday morning, 11 February, at approximately 10:00 am when swimmers at the Manly Cove facility, located just west of the wharf, noticed a 1.2-metre dusky whaler shark circling the water. While the Northern Beaches Council acted quickly to install warning signs across the popular beach area, many regulars decided to stay in the water. These swimmers shared the pool with the shark for several hours before contractors arrived to assist with the animal’s release at 1:30 pm.
Local Composure and Animal Welfare
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The atmosphere at the water’s edge remained remarkably calm as residents viewed the shark as a minor distraction rather than a threat. One frequent local swimmer, Frank Topham, suggested that the animal was easy to spot due to its grey colour and noted that the shark would likely not cause trouble if people kept their distance.
Another witness, a visitor named Tom, observed the shark from a closer perspective while swimming directly above it. He felt the animal appeared to be in distress or perhaps unwell, noting that it spent its time pacing the perimeter of the netting in a clear attempt to find an exit.
Following the safe release of the shark, council staff conducted a thorough review of the underwater infrastructure to determine how the visitor entered the enclosure. No holes or breeches were discovered in the netting during the inspection, leaving the shark’s entry a mystery.
The appearance of the dusky whaler occurred during a period of high shark activity in the region. On the same day, officials were forced to close the nearby ocean beach at Queenscliff after several sharks were spotted near the headland.
This encounter follows a recent serious event at Manly Beach where a surfer was injured in a shark attack just weeks prior. Despite this history, the Department of Primary Industries reviewed the situation in the harbour pool and maintained that it was safe for the public to swim.
To resolve the situation without harming the animal, specialised harbour contractors were brought in to manually lift a portion of the net. This allowed the shark to swim back into the open harbour waters safely, ending the three-and-a-half-hour ordeal for both the shark and the local community.
Sydney doesn’t need another reason to go to the water’s edge—but it does love a limited-time food moment, especially when it feels specific to a place rather than a marketing slogan. That’s the bet behind La Mexicana’s upcoming run at Manly Wharf, where Mexico City taqueria El Vilsito is scheduled to stage an on-site taco takeover during Margarita Week.
For Sydney locals, the timing is notable. Manly Wharf has been in active transition, shifting tenants, refining its hospitality mix, and reintroducing itself as more than just a commuter pinch-point. Against that backdrop, a visiting-chef activation is more than a novelty. It’s a signal about what the precinct wants to be: a place you plan around, not just pass through.
Photo Credit: Supplied
La Mexicana will run across two weekends, 19–22 March and 26–29 March, alongside Margarita Week (19–29 March). Two chefs from El Vilsito will cook tacos as they’re served in Mexico City, working with local teams. Joining them will Sandra Blanco, whose family has run El Vilsito for decades.
That family story is part of what makes the visit feel less like a “pop-up” and more like a cultural handover. El Vilsito is known for tacos al pastor—the vertical-spit method that turns marinated pork into thin, smoky slices, built into tacos quickly and consistently.
In Mexico City it’s famous for the way it operates at night, with a rhythm that suits late dinners and post-show hunger. In Manly, the audience will be different: day-trippers, families, locals meeting friends on the harbour. The challenge will be keeping the essence of a night-market staple in a setting with its own pace and expectations.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Margarita Week provides the frame. Big precinct-wide programmes can feel generic, but they work when they give people an excuse to try a venue they normally ignore. A harbourfront run of cocktail specials, plus a food centrepiece that isn’t usually on offer in Sydney, creates a clear “now or later” decision for locals: go during the festival window, or miss the specific version of the thing everyone will be talking about.
Photo Credit: Supplied
There’s also a broader shift in how Sydney eats out. After years of “destination dining”, there’s a renewed interest in food that’s quick, affordable in spirit (even if not always in price), and anchored to a story you can understand in a sentence. A proper al pastor setup, run by cooks who do it nightly back home, fits that appetite. It’s street food as craft, and craft as community ritual.
If you’re planning a visit, consider what you want from it. If it’s the food, aim for a quieter window and treat it as a tasting, watch the technique, notice the balance of smoke, acidity and spice, and see how the tortilla holds up under heat. If it’s the atmosphere, go when Manly Wharf is loud and crowded and the harbour is doing what it does best: turning dinner into an outing.
Photo Credit: Supplied
Either way, the best approach is to treat La Mexicana as a short-season offering rather than an ongoing menu change. This is a two-weekend run, attached to a wider precinct programme, and designed to be tem. That’s the point—and for Sydney diners, it’s also the appeal.
Manly local businesses are officially reclaiming the iconic Corso pedestrian mall for outdoor dining to transform the famous thoroughfare from a simple walkway into a social hub for the community.
The shift comes fourteen months after the Northern Beaches Council green-lit the Manly Place Plan, which was created following extensive talks with local resident groups, the Manly Business Chamber, and young people. This plan focuses on making the heart of the town more inviting for those who live nearby and more attractive for people visiting from across Sydney.
Until 2016, the area was a popular spot for outdoor meals, but a long-standing disagreement over rental fees and space rights between the previous council and two former restaurants caused all the tables and chairs to be removed.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The first business to lead the change is Get Sashimi, a Japanese restaurant that recently received the go-ahead to set up seating on the northern side of the mall. Council officials have noted that two other shops have already handed in their paperwork to do the same, and there is space for at least twelve more businesses to follow suit.
To take part in the program, shop owners must pay a four hundred and fifty dollar application fee along with an annual rent of nine hundred dollars for every square metre of public space they use. This new system is designed to provide a clear and fair way for shops to operate outside without the confusion of the past.
The main goal of the project is to bring a sense of energy back to the area by encouraging people to gather and socialise in the open air. Mayor Sue Heins explained that while the topic of using public space for private tables has caused some debate in the past, it is a practical way to stop the mall from feeling like a wide, empty bowling alley.
By redesigning key parts of the town centre, the council hopes to create a more relaxed atmosphere where the community can sit and enjoy the coastal environment. Local feedback has shown that most people are ready to see the return of the cafe culture that once defined this part of the Northern Beaches.
