One last gasp on Manly Beach

The Sydney suburb of Manly has voted to stamp out smoking along its golden sands, just north of the famous harbour.

Manly Mayor Peter Macdonald said the ban - the only seaside area outside Los Angeles to crack down on smokers - would help "de-normalise smoking".

Other Sydney areas - including the world-renowned Bondi Beach - are considering following suit.

Manly town council voted eight to three on Monday to ban smoking on its beach stretch - one of Sydney's most popular surfing areas.

The ban will also apply to the town's harbour, sporting fields and around children's playgrounds.

'Trailblazing'

"I guess this is a bit of trailblazing but the important thing that's going to come out of it is that it de-normalises smoking," said Mr Macdonald.

The mayor of Waverley Council said he would consider a similar ban on the three beaches it is responsible for - the famous Bondi beach, as well as neighbouring Bronte and Tamarama beaches.

"Banning smoking on beaches will have significant environmental benefits, and reduce passive smoking in summer when the beaches are crowded," said Mayor Peter Moscatt.

He said 32 billion cigarette butts are discarded on Australia's beaches each year, and around 700,000 on Bondi Beach alone at any given time.

"They don't biodegrade, and take up to 12 years to decompose. They end up in the water, harming wildlife and making swimming unpleasant," he said.