Tag: sydney

  • Manly to Bondi Walk – Leg #3

    Spit East Reserve - our starting point

    This month we continued our epic 80km+ walk around Sydney Harbour from Manly to Bondi on a lovely cloudy-but-warm autumn day. We started where we ended last time, at the Spit East Reserve just on the south side of the Spit Bridge in Mosman. Note that once again Rodd is dressed as a retiree out for a pleasurable walk, and I am tactically outfitted like I’m doing an ultramarathon in the Atacama Desert. In addition to my hydration backpack, I also picked up a bottle of Gatorade to see if it helped with the cramping I had last time. My main goal was to complete the walk without braining myself on a tree this time.

    Parriwi Park

    We started with a climb up into Parriwi Park. Note that this time I remembered to bring the trekking poles, so we each had one.

    Cobblers Bay

    We were rewarded with stunning views across Cobblers Bay.

    Parriwi Head Light

    “Is that… a lighthouse?!” We discovered the Parriwi Head Light, a working lighthouse that helps guide ships into Port Jackson.

    Crossing Chinamans Beach

    Eventually we made our way back down to the water, and here we are crossing the unfortunately named Chinamans Beach. Very sheltered and surrounded by mansions, with barely another person to be seen.

    Wyargine Reserve

    After strolling past million dollar homes in Mosman, we followed a path through the Wyargine Reserve. It seems locals have fought a lot of legal battles to protect this bit of bush.

    Edwards Beach

    We were now heading towards the Balmoral Beach Club, crossing Edwards Beach on the way. We stopped off at the Club to use the bathroom, and we debated grabbing a sandwich at one of the cafes before deciding to push on to Middle Head.

    Climbing up to Middle Head

    To get to Middle Head, we had to climb up a lot of stairs. See that serious fencing on the one side? It’s because the HMAS Penguin Naval Base is over there, and they’re also doing bush regeneration as well.

    Middle Head - Gubbah Gubbah

    Eventually we came to Middle Head, also known as Gubbah Gubbah. The headland was the site of an important military fort, and there are tunnels and old gun placements all over the place. The idea was that if anybody sailed into Sydney Harbour, this was the ideal place to shoot at them.

    Historical info

    There were lots of informative signs explaining the various stages of the Sydney Harbour defences, and what sort of technology was employed. Beyond that, it’s just a beautiful lookout.

    Cannons

    Some of the old cannons, mounted as a memorial of sorts.

    Tunnels

    This gun placement was looking across towards Watsons Bay. Each of the round tracks was where a gun was mounted that could be swivelled around to aim at enemy ships. Thankfully, there was only ever one attack on Sydney Harbour where they were needed.

    Obelisk Bay

    Unbeknownst to me, somewhere down below us at the edge of Obelisk Bay is the famous Obelisk Beach, one of only a few in Sydney where nudity is permitted.

    Wondering what's in the tunnel?

    Why yes, I am wondering what’s in the tunnel! Happily, they give tours.

    Pathway in the bush

    After a refreshing lunch at Frenchy’s Cafe, we continued our hike towards Georges Head.

    Georges Head Lookout

    This area was quite important to the local Aboriginal people, and now they are places of reflection and relaxation.

    Still hiking in Mosman

    How are we still in Mosman? It’s huge. Here we’re tramping through the bush towards Clifton Gardens and Chowder Bay.

    Resting at Chowder Bay Beach

    At Chowder Bay, we stopped for a rest and so the Snook could try out his binoculars. We were interested to walk past the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, which neither of us knew much about.

    Taylors Bay

    While much of the coastline in the national park isn’t accessible except by boat, every now and then would be a path down to a hidden beach. We were amused by this one in Taylors Bay, where the locals had stacked up their kayaks and tinnies.

    Hiking towards Bradleys Head

    The path into Bradleys Head was pretty wet and mucky. We were glad to have our trekking poles to help us navigate past some of the mud puddles.

    Sailboats in the harbour

    There were lots of sailboats out in the harbour. This big one had four sails on it!

    Water dragon

    No new wildlife to report, just the same as on previous legs: water dragons (this fellow was particularly big), bush turkeys, kookaburras, and loads of skinks.

    Bradley's Head Naval Memorial

    We finally made it to the very tip of Bradleys Head, which has a naval memorial with the mast of the HMAS Sydney.

    Sydney Harbour Bridge

    When we got to the western side of Bradleys Head, we finally had a great view of the city! Wow, it still seems like so far to go.

    Taronga Zoo ferry

    Finally we caught a glimpse of our endpoint for this leg – the Taronga Zoo ferry wharf. I was feeling really good at this point, and I hadn’t suffered any injuries. “DON’T JINX IT!” Rodd laughed. 😂

    Taronga Zoo

    We made it to Taronga! And we could see the ferry chugging across the harbour towards us.

    Manly Ferry Wharf

    And here we are at the Wharf, our designated stopping point for this leg. Tired but feeling pretty good. Yay for no mid-hike injuries!

    Here’s our Strava map for this leg. It’s the longest one yet!

  • An outing to Manly

    I had a simple outing planned for the day – take the ferry to Manly and meet up with my former AWS colleague Mani. Sydney Transport, however, had other ideas…

    A sign at Circular Quay explaining that ferries are not running for 2 hours due to industrial action

    Drat. So a couple of bus rides later, I finally made it to meet up with Mani. You know how there are people that you think, yes, we should be friends but we’re both super busy so it’s just not happening? That was us, but thankfully we’re finally able to connect. Mani led the AWS APAC Space & Satellite business, and now she’s taking a year off with her first child. We had a great visit, and she left me really inspired and confident that I’m on the right track with some of the board opportunities I’m pursuing. And she’s really fun! It was well worth the effort of getting there.

    Two women in front of a sign that says The Butchers Cafe

    And hey, by the time I left the ferries were operating again! I caught the Fast Ferry back to Circular Quay and discovered that knitting as you cross the Heads (with some serious swell!) is quite a challenge… 😂🧶

    A woman pulling a face while trying to knit on a boat

  • Hay St. Market, Sydney

    A woman standing in a market/food court with a cup of ice cream

    Mr. Snook needed to go to Chinatown to pick up some component for his next brewing experiment, so we popped into the new Hay St. Market today to check it out. This is meant to be a “vibrant new food and beverage hub that captures the spirit and heritage of the iconic Paddy’s Market.” It claims to be open, but from what I could tell, many of the stalls are still being fitted out. Not many of the outlets were open on a Monday afternoon, though I managed to get a scoop of ice cream. It definitely looks like they’re going for more of a European style market vibe than an actual hawker center, especially once you take the prices into consideration. (Rodd kept muttering incredulously, “$19 for a sandwich!”) And it’s definitely more of a food court than anything – there are only a couple fresh food stalls. Still, it’s early days…

    A man peers at the offerings at a greengrocer

  • Photo Post

    Showing my colleague @encinar the best of Sydney on a beautiful Sunday! ☀️❤️

    Showing my colleague @encinar the best of Sydney on a beautiful Sunday! ☀️❤️

  • Photo Post

    At the Opera House with @meredithab13 to see Elvia Costello!

    At the Opera House with @meredithab13 to see Elvia Costello!

    At the Opera House with @meredithab13 to see Elvia Costello!

  • Photo Post

    It’s taken 23 years, but finally the last of my college roommates made it to Sydney for a visit! I just led Elizabeth McKillop and her friend Vic on a loooooong walk all around Barangaroo. 😅❤️

    It’s taken 23 years, but finally the last of my college roommates made it to Sydney for a visit! I just led Elizabeth McKillop and her friend Vic on a loooooong walk all around Barangaroo. 😅❤️

  • Photo Post

    Sydney Park on a beautiful day with the Snook. 🌳☀️❤️

    Sydney Park on a beautiful day with the Snook. 🌳☀️❤️

  • Photo Post

    Current view. ❤️ #sydney

    Current view. ❤️ #sydney