Vision for East Esplanade complete

The 2017 vision for Manly’s East Esplanade Park has been realised, with the final finishing touches completed on this stretch of popular harbourside beach.

Over the past three years, ongoing works have seen Council complete works to the area between the wharf-side restaurants and the sailing club, following extensive community consultation which guided the development of the masterplan.

Completed works include:

upgraded and expanded toilet blocknew sandstone sitting walls, paving and edging to gardenselevated decking for shady picnics under the beautiful fig treesoutdoor fitness equipmenta swing setaccessible park furniturenew turf and irrigationrelocation and restoration of an existing memorial on a sandstone plinthupgrades to lightingtwo new pedestrian crossings to provide safe accessa new gross pollutant trap that stops tons of rubbish from entering the water, andtree management works to preserve the heritage listed fig trees.

The benefits of the work include the elimination of the soil runoff into Manly Cove, making the park more resilient to the enormous use it receives, improving accessibility and increasing the capacity of the toilets. The works were designed to be sympathetic to the surroundings using sandstone and natural materials as well as address the multiple community uses.

A degraded amenities block was replaced with a modern new facility, the outdoor gym and swing set are being given regular work outs and the deck areas provide a great place to watch the action on the harbour. 

The new location of the memorial allows greater appreciation of the heritage aspects of the monument. The sandstone blocks for the plinth were individually cut and shaped by hand. The circular design relates back to the original base when the monument was located near the wharf over a hundred years ago. The monument includes memorials for soldiers who served in WWI as well as locals who have lost their lives.

We can’t wait to welcome the community and visitors back to the area after lockdown so they can continue to enjoy this little slice of paradise perfectly situated for watching the sun set.