All the way to WA - To Manly and back

 

Day 2 July 25, 2023

 

In the absence of overalled men battering down our doors, or walls, this morning, we had a leisurely breakfast and made plans for the day.

We set off around 9am to walk to Circular Quay, a half hour journey, in bright Sydney sunshine.  Arriving at the harbour hub, where ferries and a variety of other vessels ply the water back and forth in a constant pattern of journey and return journey, we waited for the next Manly Ferry.

We were very soon ensconced on the outdoor aft deck enjoying the views of a sparkling harbour, with all its iconic attractions, as the ferry carried us away from the Opera House and Harbour Bridge to another Sydney icon, cosmopolitan Manly and its breathtaking beach and ocean views. We arrived a little windblown and set off on a mission to find a bakery that had been recommended to us for morning tea.

With the help of Google Maps I navigated us to the cute bakery called Rollers (thanks Phi!) tucked away in a hidden laneway, and we enjoyed delicious treats and much needed coffees and chai lattes. Replete and relaxed we then set off for the Shelly Beach walking track.

Signs announced the fact that Manly Beach was closed due to polluted water, but we noticed this hadn’t deterred  a sizeable group of body boarders and swimmers. We enjoyed our stroll around Cabbage Tree Bay, past the Shelly Beach Eco Sculpture walk and Fairy Bower baths. We continued onwards and upwards to the lookout on the headland enjoying vistas of shimmering water and golden sand all the way. There was even a glimpse of breaching whales as we stood at the Shelly Headland Upper Lookout watching the whale watching boats playing chasey with the whales.

Back at Manly Wharf, we walked straight onto the next ferry and returned to Circular Quay.

Next stop was The Rocks area where we found a table at the Rocks Café and again enjoyed some delicious food. Needing to work off the calories, we set out on the Harbour Bridge walk to Milsons Point and return. Then, as if we hadn’t done enough walking for the day, we wandered back through The Rocks and all the way up George street to our apartment. 

We stopped in to absorb the grandeur of the Queen Victoria building and have a rejuvenating coffee along the way. I made a rookie mistake and chose a coffee shop at the end of level 2, right beside Hobbyco, so of course, while waiting for the coffee order Wallsy made his way to the model train section and did not come out empty-handed.

The only evidence of any activity in the apartment in our absence, was the toaster having been removed from the cupboard and left out on the bench. No sign of any brick dust indicating drilling works had taken place, and no tell-tale holes in the wall, so hopefully they found a simpler solution to repair the leak.

 

Sydney Harbour

Fairy Bower Baths, Manly

Cabbage Tree Bay