Our first full day in Australia and we embarked on an epic hike along the coast (from Spit Bridge) to Manly. It was a 10km coastal walk with beautiful harbor beaches, bushland, panoramic ocean views and so much more.
We had a leisurely breakfast at Trisha & Ben's apartment and packed up our picnic lunch provisions across our backpacks. We hopped on a city bus that took us over to Spit Bridge, our jumping off point for the hike. We stocked up on water and set off.
Hike It Up
We hiked for a good 1+ hour before we pulled off at Castle Rock Beach to enjoy our picnic lunch. There's something extra satisfying about munching on a yummy home-packed lunch during a hike!
We continued on the hike, the full way to Manly. The girls were incredible. They literally did not complain even once. Nor ask the inane questions like "Are we there yet? How much longer?" They were just as distracted as the rest of us by the beautiful scenery all around, that you forgot to think about how much further you had to go. Memorable moments (beyond the super picnic) included things like:
Stunning beaches and sweeping views of the ocean
Gorgeous homes perched along the coastline (we had fun picking out which we'd like to live in and wonder how much they cost)
Paige brainstorming the best way to do a lemonade stand in Australia (with inputs from Trisha & Ben, wheels in motion to possibly do one at Trisha's office when we're back through Sydney at the end of February!) Our first water dragon sighting! We ended up seeing several along the walk.
Drones and magpies (birds)
It was a hot day and by the end of the 10km we were all pretty sweaty and tired. It was an amazing hike, but we were all pretty stoked to reach that "finish line"! We walked through Manly Wharf to snag something cold (= gelato for me & the girls; water for everyone else), and then willed ourselves to carry on the final stretch to Manly Beach. Can't go that far and then not see Manly Beach itself!
Up until that point we had lucked out with a pretty nice day, sunny at times, at worst overcast. When we plopped ourselves down on the steps of Manly Beach the weather (as forecasted) started to turn. We only stayed at the beach for a few minutes before we headed back to catch the ferry from Manly to Circular Quay.
First Opera House Sighting
The ferry from Manly to Circular Quay was packed. We separated from Trisha & Ben to find seats. About half way through it started pouring rain, but the rain broke just as we were pulling up towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We snagged the opportunity to go out on deck to get a closer look with the girls. And that's when we saw - for the first time on our trip & the girls' first time ever - the stunning Sydney Opera House! It was shrouded in low-hanging clouds and overcast skies, but it was still impressive. That is, when it wasn't blocked by a massive cruise ship! Our ferry boat actually had to wait under the Harbour Bridge until the cruise ship had left the dock. Good riddance behemoth cruise ship! :)
Even though the weather didn't make for the quintessential, picturesque backdrop, it was as still a memorable, special moment to take in the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge up close and personal for the first time with the girls. The rain ended up resuming, but we managed to snap a few pictures to capture the moment :)
Clean & Hungry
From Circular Quay we caught their subway/tram the rest of the way home. Sadie peppered Ben with a bunch of questions (What's your favorite animal? Echidna. What's your favorite color? Green.), which was super cute. Back at the apartment we all enjoyed a nice shower and change of clothes. Then Trisha & the girls whipped up some yummy chicken teriyaki for dinner. Just the right way to cap off our mega hike day!
What impressed me & Doug so much is that the natural beauty we saw & experienced through the hike to Manly is so incredibly accessible. We took public transport both ways, and the trail heads were no more than say 30 minutes away from the city. Incredible to have that kind of raw beauty, beaches, etc. within arm's reach of city living. Wow.
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