North Head Quarantine Station
An important part of Sydney’s past, North Head Quarantine Station once protected the city from disease by acting as the quarantine station from early in the colonies founding until 1984.
Although now disused, and renamed Q Station, it contains accommodation and a restaurant, while preserving the historical significance of the area.
Getting to The Quarantine Station
Driving
Located outside the Visitor Centre is a car park, which makes driving yourself a convenient option.
Public Transport
From the Manly Ferry Wharf, bus 135 takes 10 minutes to drive to Q Station. This bus runs every hour and connects well with the ferry arriving and departing Manly. Located outside the main entrance, the bus stop is easy to find.
Ferries to Manly run from Circular Quay, taking around 30 minutes for the trip. Alternately, the Manly Fast Ferry takes 20 minutes, but is more expensive. There is a Fast Ferry service to Q Station Wharf, if you want to start here instead of in Manly.
Walking
Taking 30 minutes, the shortest walk winds through Manly’s streets, to the Q Station car park.
Shuttle Bus
A shuttle bus operates from the main entrance, down to the wharf area, removing the need for a steep walk. Running all day, the bus makes getting around far quicker than walking. Walking from the entrance to the wharf area takes around 10 minutes.
An interesting walk connects Q Station to North Head winding through coastal Australian bushland. This is a well structured path with lots of signs. The path also passes the third quarantine station cemetery which is an interesting place to walk around and view the old grave sites.
Guided Tours of the Quarantine Station
Tours of the historical buildings are available and can be booked online. The meeting point for the tour is near the wharf at the visitor centre. If you are not staying on site this means that you will walk though other old buildings on your way giving you a great overview of what is there (alternately, you can catch the shuttle bus).
You get to walk around the hospital, grounds, decontamination rooms, fumigation rooms and various other areas. The walk to the hospital at the top of the hill is very steep.
Starting at the wharf, the guide explained the use and history of the station before showing us the plaques carved into the rock face by ship’s passengers, many of which are quite artistic.
Our first stop was the decontamination rooms where patients were showered before entering the facility. We then saw the fumigation rooms where their belongings were placed in larger chambers and decontaminated. Several old suitcases and trolleys are set up to show how they were used.
Our last stop was the hospital at the top of the hill, where the sick were cared for.
Wharf Precinct
There is a little museum at the wharf, which is where you will find the ship’s plaques. This was a really interesting tour, and the guide had a lot of knowledge about the working and history of the fascility.
The area provided several magnificent views over Sydney Harbour and towards the city. Quarantine Beach sitting next to the wharf is a nice area with views back to the wharf and across the harbour to the city.
The Third Quarantine Cemetery
At the end of the guided tour, we walked to the Third Quarantine Cemetery where the headstones are still standing amongst the Australian bush with views over the harbour.
Our photos are available for purchase on
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.