Manly has a spot where a plain sea wall is being turned into habitat, and locals can see the change up close at Fairy Bower during a guided coastal tour.
How Manly’s Sea Wall Is Being Reworked For Marine Life
The Living Seawalls Tour is scheduled for 2:00 pm – 3:00p.m. Sunday, March 15, 2026, at Fairy Bower Pool on Marine Parade and Bower Lane in Manly. Professor Melanie Bishop, a Living Seawalls co-lead and marine ecologist at Macquarie University, is the guide for the one-hour session.
Many seawalls protect land from waves, but their flat surfaces leave little room for marine life. Living Seawalls add habitat panels to change that. The Ocean Lovers Festival listing says the panels are backed by about 20 years of research and aim to help restore ecosystems impacted by development. The tour page says the habitats can support snails, crabs, oysters, mussels, and seaweeds.
What Locals Can Expect On The Fairy Bower Tour
The tour is timed for low tide, which makes it easier to view the installation and the marine life around it. The page recommends the experience for ages 12 and over, and says stepping into shallow water is optional.
People should wear shorts or pants they can roll up, especially if they want to get closer to the edge. The meeting point is Fairy Bower Beach, at the corner of Marine Parade and Bower Lane.
The organisers say it is about a 15-minute walk from Manly Wharf, which makes it easy for ferry travellers to join. The listing also states the tour may be rescheduled in heavy wind or rain.
How The Tour Fits Into Ocean Lovers Festival 2026
The Living Seawalls tour is part of Ocean Lovers Festival 2026. It’s a month-long Sydney program celebrating ocean culture, science, and community action. The festival runs from 1–31 March 2026.
A Divernet feature on the festival highlights Manly as part of the 2026 expansion and says more Manly program details are expected to be released in January 2026. The same coverage points to harbour connections that make it easier for people to move between coastal event locations, including Manly.
Why This Matters For Manly’s Coastline
The ticket proceeds supports the Sydney Institute of Marine Science Living Seawalls program. The listing also notes Living Seawalls were finalists for the 2021 Earthshot Prize, which signals broader recognition of the approach.
For Manly residents, this familiar place on the coastal walk becomes a learning site, and community members can see how small design changes to the built shoreline can create more space for marine life to grow.
Published 22-December-2025
