Little Manly was a well-known location as a burial location of aboriginal people as far back as 1914, with reports in the local papers of the discovery of human remains at the site. Now in 2022 we must wait respectfully and patiently for the team now working through the pile of sand in search of any final human remains. The Department of Heritage is working with aboriginal people on a repatriation plan, which will likely involve a private ceremony and reburial elsewhere in proximity to Little Manly Beach.

A more detailed history can be read on the Manly Observer website. https://manlyobserver.com.au/indigenous-remains-confirmed-at-little-manly-excavation/

In the interim Council has completed the safety rails on the new steps and have returfed some of the area and finally the installation of the rubbish bins. The swings will remain closed till the sand sifting has been completed. Ripples Café is open and hopefully the weather will remain sunny.

Text of the Article printed in The Bathurst Times Monday 23rd March 1914

Aboriginal Cemetery Opened GRUESOME PICTURE AT MANLY. SYDNEY, Sunday. Yesterday’s storm led to a strange discovery being made at Little Manly Beach. When Mr Jack Sly, one of the well-known fishermen, looked outside his house, he saw a remarkable sight. The stormwater which fell during the night had washed away a bank of earth, and strewn the sands with an array of human skulls and bones. In the face of the bank exposed by the wash away several skeletons were disclosed in sitting. positions, and made an uncanny picture. In the early days the locality was a favorite camping ground for the local tribe of aboriginals and some years ago a couple of skeletons of blacks were unearthed by the members of the Sly family, and this morning’s discovery indicates that the beach at Little Manly