Manly Observer

There will be no fireworks at Dee Why this New Year’s Eve, with Northern Beaches Council citing a ‘supplier issue’. It says the display will be replaced with other family friendly entertainment options, which are yet to be detailed.

Locals are being urged to take care around Narrabeen Lagoon after police began investigating three alleged sexual offences against women earlier this week. The incidents, which occurred while women were walking or exercising in the area, include alleged sexual touching and inappropriate sexual comments. Two involved a person on an e-bike, though the descriptions given to police suggest more than one person may be involved.

McDonald’s has won its Land and Environment Court appeal and can build a Maccas at 37 Roseberry Street, Balgowlah (bordering Manly Vale) where Seven Miles Coffee is currently located. The Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel unanimously refused the DA in July 2025. The application drew 740 submissions, with only two in support. McDonald’s lodged its appeal in February this year, and about 70 residents turned up to the on-site conciliation conference in May to object.

The Tracks Party Tour is back for its fourth run and Sydney’s Northern Beaches gets the opening night. at the Harbord Hotel, Freshwater, featuring Daily J, Surf Trash, The Darrans and Cross Pollinate. Live bands, cold drinks and the crew that has been backing Australian surf culture for 25 years. Expect a loud room, a packed dance floor and the sort of night people talk about for months.

Manly town centre come alive with free live music, roving entertainment and family-friendly performances at the inaugural Sounds of Manly event on Halloween weekend, Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November 2026. Presented by Northern Beaches Council, the two-day program will feature local solo musicians and performers across 5 locations including The Corso, Rialto Square, Market Lane, Sydney Road and the forecourt of Manly Town Hall.

Dee Why Police Station was evacuated this evening (8 October) after a member of the public handed in a live military-grade hand grenade. The station was cleared about 6pm and police established a perimeter around the building. Officers from the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit attended and seized the grenade for further examination. Police returned to the station about 7.40pm.

A beach-themed party in the Manly Art Gallery surrounded by the paintings of celebrated local artist Michael Muir will be the stage for this year’s major fundraiser by the Manly Art Gallery & Museum Society on Friday 23 October. The event is open to members of the Society and the community. Tickets are available from Humanitix for $110.

Jen Olver was starting her usual commute to work when a car allegedly ran a red light and hit her at a Brookvale intersection. Now the single mother is barely mobile and off work, while still trying to make ends meet. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Cross Street and Pittwater Road at 7.30am on Monday 3 August after reports that a woman had been hit by a car. The 49-year-old was crossing the road when a blue MG3 struck her at about 40 km/h.

More than 1,000 tonnes of concrete and rock, roughly the weight of 200 adult elephants (or about 3 billion bogong moths), had to be removed to transform a steep Queenscliff site into a five-level family home. Now, after two and a half years of construction, the project has put Northern Beaches builder Dinkum Building in contention for two statewide HIA housing awards.

Bruce George Baird AM was a devoted public servant, proud father, and one of Australia’s most warmly regarded politicians — a man whose decency and warmth were felt across parliamentary divides and whose commitment to service never wavered. Born on 28 February 1942 in Sydney and raised in Cronulla, Bruce was educated at Winston College and Sutherland Intermediate High School before joining Qantas as an executive trainee.