A wild brawl involving 40 teenagers in Manly has sparked an intense dispute between suburbs as locals blame outsiders from western Sydney for the chaos.
The wild braw erupted at Manly Wharf on the northern beaches on January 6 after a teenager was allegedly set upon by the group.
The teen was rescued by brave bystanders and taken to Fratelli Fresh where Nine Entertainment acting chief executive Matt Stanton helped diners to barricade the restaurant and stop the 40-strong group from entering.
NSW Police made their first arrest days later on Friday after an 18-year-old was taken to Fairfield Police Station and charged with one count each of riot and affray.
The teenager came from Bonnyrigg, western Sydney, with his arrest reigniting debate about free bus services connecting inland suburbs with beaches.
Fairfield City Council announced at the start of January it would be offering the free bus services to locals on Sundays and transport them to beaches across Sydney – including Manly and Bondi in the eastern suburbs.
Locals living along the beaches were quick to slam the initiative claiming it was drawing in unsavoury visitors.
‘I’m not saying Bonnyrigg is next to Fairfield, but Bonnyrigg is next to Fairfield,’ one wrote on Facebook.
The teen was rescued by brave bystanders and taken to Fratelli Fresh where Nine Entertainment acting chief executive Matt Stanton (pictured, left) helped diners to barricade the restaurant and stop the 40-strong group from entering
‘Have cops patrolling and giving out $500 fines for littering. $2,000 if it’s McDonald’s,’ a second said.
‘Oh god, please don’t send them east,’ another wrote.
Many critics took the opportunity to slam the eastern suburbs’ limited public transport options.
‘So if the Westies can get here on other modes of transportation can we can get a train line now?’ one wrote.
‘We can’t even keep all of our much valued hop skip and jump services and they are running buses from the other side of town,’ another said.
Fairfield City Council mayor Frank Carbone hit back at the locals and told Daily Mail Australia there had been no official complaints made about the services.
‘We don’t want any brawls or fighting, no matter where it occurs, but to say it was caused by people from the west – that’s the problem,’ he said.
‘We don’t know the full situation. The fact is there were 40 people involved, I’m sure there were people from the west and people from the east.
The wild braw erupted at Manly Wharf on the northern beaches on January 6 after a teenager was allegedly set upon by the group
‘Violence shouldn’t be tolerated anywhere – no matter what happened or where people are from.
‘We should stop categorising people by their postcode and start connecting with people, no matter where they live.’
Mr Carbone said there was a ‘perception’ that people living near a beach didn’t want ‘people from the west to visit’.
‘There are too many barriers to access, with taxes, tolls and parking fees,’ he said.
‘The beaches belong to everybody and this summer I want to make sure Fairfield locals can enjoy the beach without breaking the bank.’
Despite the criticism from some locals, many applauded Mr Carbone for introducing the free buses and celebrated wider connection across Sydney.
‘This is great for people who don’t normally have access to the beach. It costs like $50 bucks in tolls if you drive from the west to the beach! The beaches are meant to be shared!’ one said.
‘You don’t own the beach, it’s a public space. It’s 2025, you should try being less racist,’ another wrote, referencing west Sydney’s multiculturalism.
‘Leisure is a right. Stop with the discrimination. Don’t be a snob,’ another said.
A brawl broke out between 40 people, most believed to be youths, at Manly Wharf (pictured) on January 6
Mr Carbone added the free buses run both ways and could be an opportunity for eastern residents to experience a fun day out west.
‘There would be people from Bondi who have never been to iconic Cabramatta, so we want to give them an opportunity to visit Cabramatta, enjoy a south-east Asian feast, see the Pailau Gates and soak up all the atmosphere Cabramatta has to offer,’ he said.
‘Cost of living should not be a barrier preventing people from enjoying the beach on a summer day. After all, the beaches belong to everyone.
‘What better opportunity is there for Bondi locals to hop on the bus back to Cabramatta for their own unique experience?’
The free buses will continue to run to different beaches for the next two weekends.
The bus on January 19 will be headed to Cronulla, followed by another on February 2 to Bondi.
Alternatively, free buses will be available from Manly to Fairfield on January 19 and Bondi to Cabramatta on February 2.
NSW Police have established Strike Force Crookhaven to investigate the brawl.
It is yet to identify many of the alleged attackers or alleged victim.
Detectives on Friday released CCTV images of two men who worked to diffuse the brawl in hopes they could assist their investigation.
One of the men was identified as the acting chief executive of Nine Entertainment, Matt Stanton.
The 18-year-old teenager arrested on Friday was granted conditional bail.
He will front Manly Local Court on January 29.
NSW Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
