Manly Council Car Parks 2026: 4 Parking Stations, 2 Hours Free, Then $13.50 to $55 a Day, Opening Hours and Lift Closure to 15 November (Manly, NSW)

Northern Beaches Council runs four paid parking stations in Manly, and you can park at any one of them for up to 2 hours free per day. After that, the daytime fee is $13.50 for 2 to 2.5 hours and tops out at $55 for 5 hours or more. This guide sets out the fees, opening hours, space numbers and height limits that the council publishes, as read on 7 November 2026. Fees can change, so confirm at the car park or on the council page.

Every figure below comes from the council’s Manly parking stations page.

Where are the four Manly parking stations?

Car park	Address	Spaces	Height limit
Whistler Street Carpark	5A Market Lane	311, including 5 accessible bays, 11 for parents with prams and 4 motorcycle bays	2m
Peninsula Carpark	25 Wentworth Street	289, including 5 accessible bays and 5 motorcycle bays	2.1m
Pacific Waves Carpark	9-15 Central Avenue	170, including 4 accessible bays and 2 motorcycle bays	2m
Manly National Carpark	Central Avenue	220, including 5 accessible bays, 5 motorcycle bays and 5 car share bays	1.95m

The Whistler Street figure also includes 2 spaces for authorised vehicles only. If you drive a high vehicle such as a van with roof racks or a roof box, the Manly National height limit of 1.95m is the lowest of the four, and the Peninsula car park’s 2.1m is the highest.

When are the car parks open?

Car park	Monday to Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Whistler Street	6:30am to 12:30am	Open 24 hours	Open 24 hours	6:30am to midnight
Peninsula	7am to 12:30am	7am to 12:30am	7am to 12:30am	7am to midnight
Pacific Waves	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to midnight
Manly National	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to 12:30am	6:30am to midnight

Only Whistler Street is open around the clock, and only on Friday and Saturday nights.

How much does daytime parking cost?

Time in the car park (entry 6:30am to 6:59pm)	Fee
Up to 2 hours	Free
2 to 2.5 hours	$13.50
2.5 to 3 hours	$18
3 to 3.5 hours	$22
3.5 to 4 hours	$26
4 to 5 hours	$40.50
5 hours or more	$55

The council lists an early bird rate for Manly National Carpark only: $27.50 if you enter before 9am and leave after 3pm, Monday to Friday. The car parks use licence plate recognition. If you leave and then re-enter, or visit another council car park, within 3 hours of exiting, the fees start at the 2 to 2.5 hour rate of $13.50, so the 2 free hours do not reset.

What does evening and overnight parking cost?

If you enter between 7pm and 11:59pm, the evening fee is a flat $5.50. Evening fees are not available to vehicles that entered during the day. If your car is still in the car park after midnight, a $5.50 overnight surcharge applies, plus the next day’s fee (the first 2 hours free, then the hours up to your exit time).

For multiple days, the council gives this example: if you stay the maximum hours on both days, the total is $55 plus the $5.50 overnight surcharge plus $55 for the next day, which makes $115.50.

Is the lift working at Manly National Carpark?

No. The council says there is no lift access at Manly National Carpark from Monday 10 August to Friday 15 November 2026. Customers can use Lift 1 or Lift 2 in the Manly National Residential Lobby only to go up to the car park levels, and the staircase must be used to exit the car park. The council says wheelchair access is not available at this car park during the closure.

How do I pay?

You can pay by credit card at both the pay machine and the exit. If you want to pay by cash, use the pay machine. If you realise you cannot pay, you will be issued a non-payment form and have seven days from the date of entry to return to one of the council’s four Manly car parks and pay. Push the intercom or go to the office at Whistler Street, where an attendant can take the payment.

What about motorcycles, accessible parking and regular commuters?

Who	What the council says
Motorcycles	Free in the designated motorcycle bays; a motorcycle in a car bay pays the full fees, and fines may apply if it exits without paying
Mobility permit holders	Subject to fees and charges in these four car parks; a valid mobility parking permit gives free parking at any pay and display council car park
Pre-paid parking	2 to 7 days a week, from $121 to $480 a month, minimum 3 months, by direct debit
Late night workers	$5.50 flat fee every day with a pass card; entry after 5pm and exit after 9pm
Operational commercial vehicles	$32 flat fee per weekend day for vehicles needed for work within 2km of Manly National Carpark; not for commuting

The pre-paid prices by days a week are $121 for 2 days, $181 for 3 days, $240 for 4 days, $301 for 5 days and $480 for 7 days. Pre-paid parking is applied for online for the Manly National and Whistler Street car parks.

What would a typical visit cost?

These examples apply the council’s published fee table to common stays. They assume a single entry during the day and no re-entry within 3 hours.

Your visit	Fee
A 90-minute coffee and walk	Free
A 2 hour 15 minute lunch	$13.50
A 3 hour beach visit	$18
A 4 hour 30 minute day out	$40.50
A full day of 5 hours or more	$55
A dinner, entering at 7:30pm and leaving before midnight	$5.50
A weekday commuter at Manly National, in before 9am and out after 3pm	$27.50 (early bird)

Which car park should I choose?

The council page gives no walking times or live space counts, so the choice comes down to what it does publish. Whistler Street has the most spaces (311) and is the only car park open 24 hours, on Friday and Saturday. Peninsula is the only one with a 2.1m height limit and the only one that opens at 7am, not 6:30am. Manly National is the only one with the early bird rate, but the lift is out of service until 15 November. Pacific Waves is the smallest, with 170 spaces.

Is there a cheaper way to get to Manly?

The council says the best way to visit Manly is by public transport, which it describes as cheaper than driving and a way to avoid searching for a space. It says Manly is served by buses from Palm Beach, Sydney City, North Sydney and St Leonards, and by ferries to Circular Quay and Barangaroo. The Transport for NSW trip planner gives timetables. The council also lists bicycle racks in front of Manly Wharf, on the beachfront, in Market Lane and at other places in Manly.

If you are driving in for an event, see our guides to the Christmas choral concert at Manly Oval and the Manly Festival of Short Plays.

Sources

• Northern Beaches Council: Manly parking stations, read 7 November 2026
• Transport for NSW trip planner

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Northern Beaches Council.

Featured image: Manly Surf Pavilion (photo: Kgbo / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)