Shelly Beach, Protected marine reserve in Manly, Australia

Shelly Beach is a swimming and diving beach situated in Cabbage Tree Bay with zones reaching depths of 12 meters. The clear water provides a home for numerous marine species in this protected inlet.

A shell midden near the Fairy Bower car park records Aboriginal occupation and gave the beach its name, though the sand itself holds few shells. In the early 1920s only a few buildings stood on the hillside; it is now covered with houses. Cabbage Tree Bay became a no-take aquatic reserve on 31 March 2002.

The name comes from a shell midden recorded near the Fairy Bower car park, evidence of Aboriginal occupation, though the sand itself holds few shells. Since 31 March 2002 the bay has been a no-take aquatic reserve, so fishing is banned and divers share the water with large numbers of fish.

Shelly Beach is about 100 metres long and faces west, so the reef on its right side, seen from the sand, blocks the ocean swell. A bush track rounds the headland toward North Head and the Northern Beaches. Showers, toilets, two free electric barbecues and a kiosk sit by the sand, and parking is charged by the hour. The walkway from Manly Beach was rebuilt after the June 2016 storm.

A motorbike lies on the seabed in the middle of Cabbage Tree Bay, at a depth of about 8 metres. Divers and snorkelers can look for it below the surface. The bay was declared a No Take Aquatic Reserve on 31 March 2002, so nothing may be removed from the water.