Manly Beach
Though there is so much to do in Sydney proper, a trip isn't complete without exploring some of the beach communities. Looking back on the city, Sydney is very much California meets Europe. So escaping to Manly was a bit like visiting southern California.
We took the Fast Ferry from the Circular Quay to Manly which took about 20 minutes. We were treated to beautiful views along the way.
From the wharf it is only about three blocks to the beach, so we walked around to get a lay of the land a bit. Manly is quite a touristy place, so after going through a couple shops I was over that. We went back near the wharf to 4 Pines, a microbrewery. Turns out that Will's colleague knows one of the guys who opened the place, so we knew we had to make a visit. We had really good beer and really good salads.
After lunch we walked around some of the neighborhood away from the touristy stuff. We found these neat little stairs to walk up to a hidden park, and kept walking to find a botanical garden before we ended up at the beach.
We hung out at the beach for a little while, but the water was COLD!! Even though it was hot out, it was only somewhat refreshing for a short period of time! Plus the current was strong and later the lifeguards even closed the beach. (How many people actually leave is another story.) We made a stop for ice cream cones and ate them at the beach. Then we went to The New Brighton Hotel for a rooftop refreshment. We also got to enjoy the street music being played in the promenade down below.
We went for a quick dip on the harbor side of Manly to see if the water was any different, and I think it was COLDER! We relaxed on the patio of the Many Wharf Hotel while we waited for the next ferry back to the Circular Quay.
We took an uber back to our hotel, cleaned up, and were off for dinner. We walked to a new neighborhood of Sydney, Darlinghurst, to a restaurant called The Local. It was only about twenty minutes away. I had read about this place on a list of top rooftop restaurants in Sydney. I'm so glad I did because I don't know how anyone ever would have known about it. It's this corner pub that you could easily walk right past, and when you get inside you wouldn't know it even had a rooftop spot. Will and I walked around and just kept walking up the steps we finally found. It was a Thursday night in a local neighborhood so it was very quiet. We finally got to the top and found this cozy garden rooftop. We were certainly among the locals tonight. And much to our luck it was $10 beer flight night (down from $18, what a deal!).
The night's special was as follows:
Will was very excited about his kransky! He ordered it as an appetizer, but once it came out it quickly turned into his dinner, and the pumpkin ravioli was all mine! Yum!
On our walk back to the hotel we passed by a park and there were flying foxes all around! We had seen them at the Lone Pine Sanctuary but I didn't think they were an animal you would find right in the middle of the city, but sure enough. I had never seen such a thing! Unreal.
We took the Fast Ferry from the Circular Quay to Manly which took about 20 minutes. We were treated to beautiful views along the way.
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| The wharf as we pulled in. |
From the wharf it is only about three blocks to the beach, so we walked around to get a lay of the land a bit. Manly is quite a touristy place, so after going through a couple shops I was over that. We went back near the wharf to 4 Pines, a microbrewery. Turns out that Will's colleague knows one of the guys who opened the place, so we knew we had to make a visit. We had really good beer and really good salads.
 |
| The outdoor patio overlooked the main street outside of the Ferry Building which made for great people watching. |
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| Lots of beer brewed in-house on tap! |
After lunch we walked around some of the neighborhood away from the touristy stuff. We found these neat little stairs to walk up to a hidden park, and kept walking to find a botanical garden before we ended up at the beach.
We hung out at the beach for a little while, but the water was COLD!! Even though it was hot out, it was only somewhat refreshing for a short period of time! Plus the current was strong and later the lifeguards even closed the beach. (How many people actually leave is another story.) We made a stop for ice cream cones and ate them at the beach. Then we went to The New Brighton Hotel for a rooftop refreshment. We also got to enjoy the street music being played in the promenade down below.
We went for a quick dip on the harbor side of Manly to see if the water was any different, and I think it was COLDER! We relaxed on the patio of the Many Wharf Hotel while we waited for the next ferry back to the Circular Quay.
We took an uber back to our hotel, cleaned up, and were off for dinner. We walked to a new neighborhood of Sydney, Darlinghurst, to a restaurant called The Local. It was only about twenty minutes away. I had read about this place on a list of top rooftop restaurants in Sydney. I'm so glad I did because I don't know how anyone ever would have known about it. It's this corner pub that you could easily walk right past, and when you get inside you wouldn't know it even had a rooftop spot. Will and I walked around and just kept walking up the steps we finally found. It was a Thursday night in a local neighborhood so it was very quiet. We finally got to the top and found this cozy garden rooftop. We were certainly among the locals tonight. And much to our luck it was $10 beer flight night (down from $18, what a deal!).
The night's special was as follows:
Will was very excited about his kransky! He ordered it as an appetizer, but once it came out it quickly turned into his dinner, and the pumpkin ravioli was all mine! Yum!
On our walk back to the hotel we passed by a park and there were flying foxes all around! We had seen them at the Lone Pine Sanctuary but I didn't think they were an animal you would find right in the middle of the city, but sure enough. I had never seen such a thing! Unreal.
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