Follow the famous footsteps to the Northern Beaches

Picture this – Ryan Gosling silhouetted against the beautiful backdrop of Narrabeen Beach; Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban gazing over a stunning Manly beachscape.
When celebrities come to work and play on the Northern Beaches it’s almost an overload of beauty – like holding up a diamond to the Northern Lights. After all, the peninsula is fame and beauty itself, so when you add that celebrity sparkle things really start to shine.
So if you’d love to walk in some fabulous footsteps, bask in the celebrity afterglow or scout out a few famous film locations, here we go.
When the Kidman-Urban tactile duo arrived in Manly last year, even their lunch became news. So if you’d like to sample their food of choice, grab a kebab from Manly Seaside Kebabs in The Corso.
For something a little more upmarket, Wolverine Hugh Jackman, Posh Spice aka Victoria Beckham, and performance power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z all chose Hugos Manly on Manly Wharf for their dining experience.
A short walk from the wharf will land you at Manly Pavilion where Chris Hemsworth, in all his Thor-someness, sat down for some fabulous food with a side dish of stunning harbour views.
When former US president Barack Obama and wife Michelle visited Australia earlier this year the Northern Beaches was treated to some of their star power. As pictures beamed around the world of the couple visiting a scenic little strip of sand in Manly, locals were quick to recognise it as not the famous 2km main attraction of Manly Beach but lesser known Collins Flat. Located in Sydney Harbour National Park, it features on the popular North Head Walk and provides an after-hours sanctuary for our under-threat Little Penguins.
Heading further north to the tip of the Northern Beaches peninsula, Princess Mary, Prince Frederik and their royal offspring crowned Palm Beach as the place to be seen when they visited these shores in 2022, while actress Isla Fisher and husband Sasha Baron-Cohen, aka Borat, took out their boards at nearby Avalon and Whale beaches.
When the director calls “Action”, the Northern Beaches has provided the backdrop to many a famous flick.
Before Barbie hit our screens, Ryan Gosling set hearts racing while filming The Fall Guy on Ocean St in Narrabeen.
Palm Beach has long starred as Summer Bay in the long-running TV soap Home and Away, with fan tours running regularly from the city and offering the opportunity to meet a star and watch the actors in action.
If you’re a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, head up Darley Rd in Manly to the beautiful ICMS building – originally known as St Patrick’s College – which had its starring moment as Gatsby’s mansion in the 2013 film. This impressive building, with its turrets and spires, might also be of interest if you’re a fan of the award-winning Aussie coming-of-age movie Looking for Alibrandi.
While you’re up there, check out the stunning heritage-listed Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel where Nicole and Keith tied the knot in 2006. And if you’re looking to say your own “I do”, they even host weddings for us mere mortals.
Also at beautiful North Head is historic former quarantine station Q Station, which operated in the days of Spanish flu, smallpox and bubonic plague, and in recent years stood in for the Maeda Escarpment in the WWII Battle of Okinawa in the Mel Gibson-directed Hacksaw Ridge, starring Vince Vaughn and Andrew Garfield.
And there are many more Northern Beaches locations for you to scout:
- Manly Waterworks – featured in BMX Bandits
- Clontarf Beach – location of INXS’s video for the song ‘Stay Young’
- Manly Corso – Redfoo’s hit ‘Let’s Get Ridiculous’ was filmed here
- Warriewood Beach – features in James Blunt’s film clip for ‘Don’t Give Me Those Eyes’
- Narrabeen – Muriel’s home in hit movie Muriel’s Wedding can be found in a local suburban street
And that’s a wrap!