We took the ferry to Manly and learned that not only does it have a fine brew pub (the 4 Pines) but that Manly was so named by Capt. Arthur Phillip. It is reported that ‘he was passing a group of unarmed aboriginal men wading in the water to greet Phillip's small boats. Impressed with their stature and bearing, Phillip is recorded describing them as 'manly', and the name stuck’. Now my dear wife believes this literally referred to their strong physique; me, I think it probably referred to their ‘didgeridoos’ dragging in the surf given that they would have been bollock-naked at the time – but I’m just an old cynic.
