Sydney Harbour from a Helicopter

During our trip to Sydney last August, I had the chance to enjoy a very special birthday present from my family—a scenic helicopter tour of the city. I have strong memories of how awesomely spectacular the harbour is from upon high as a result of climbing the Harbour Bridge in 2005, despite having no photographs. That tour does not allow you to take any unattached item that could fall onto the highway below, so cameras were forbidden—even hats and glasses had to be attached by bungee cord. This helicopter ride was considerably more comfortable, and required less physical effort.

Our pilot was a friendly and chatty guide. Our knowledge of the city and its surroundings gleaned from multiple visits to Sydney, exploring by ferry and bus previously, and this trip by car, made the tour that much more exciting when we spotted our favourite haunts. The harbour and its beaches have outstanding natural beauty, and the way the city flows across the landscape is an impressive spectacle.

Modern cameras thankfully allow almost unlimited shots since there was a lot of interesting viewpoints to capture. Taking photographs was challenged by the curvature of the window, the motion, and the bright Australian conditions, so a great deal of editing work has been done since the trip and it is a pleasure to finally be able to publish these. (Click “Read More” if you do not see the photographs.)

Click to See the photographs

Sunset on Cottesloe Beach

We took off from a hot, parched, brown London, and arrived in a wet and green Perth. It had rained every day for at least a week before we arrived, and was forecast to continue raining but somehow, luckily, we enjoyed a fine two days of Australian spring weather (~22ºC), before the rain returned on the morning we left.

Cottesloe beach is a miles-long thin strip of brilliant white sand, backed by some brilliant playgrounds and plentiful ice-cream and coffee. In the evening we were treated to a spectacular sunset as we walked along the seafront to our dinner.

Return to Taronga Zoo

After an amazing trip to Taronga Zoo on our last visit to Sydney I was a little unsure about returning this time in case the magic failed to repeat itself. What I had forgotten is that, (a) the children love animals and (b) they are 4 years older and thus were engaged in completely different ways to before. As a result, it was a fantastic outing for all, and likely one of the highlights of the holiday. Fewer photographs of animals this time as keeping up with excited, enthusiastic children (and later, carrying very tired children) took all my time!

Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

Sydney is defined by its ocean setting, so what better way to experience the ocean than to visit the Aquarium! On a weekday not in the school holidays the queue to buy tickets was long and slow, and we had to purchase our tickets via smartphone from the queue!

Sydney 2018: An Instagram #Holiday ??

When visiting a city for a few days at a relaxed pace, hanging out with locals, and staying in a residential neighbourhood rather than a touristy one, it is possible to imagine what it would be like to live there should the opportunity arise. With so many tasty brunches, day trips to the zoo and aquarium, a couple of evening visits to trendy restaurants, and many hours on the beach, our two weeks felt more like a continuous weekend that lasted a fortnight, which is perhaps the definition of a holiday!

I did take some “proper” photographs which will be published on this blog in due course but since this holiday was more about doing and experiencing than seeing, my Instagram feed perhaps gives the best flavour of the holiday—food, drinks, and local detail. Reviewing the raw photographs I did take with my camera, I realise that I inadvertently restricted my efforts to the classic and obvious Sydney photographic gems and disappointingly failed to capture any of the local character or street photography in the more off-the-beaten track neighbourhoods we visited.

With phone cameras such high quality these days, the Instagram moments I captured deserve better than an ephemeral life in the sidebar of this blog so here they are for posterity. ???

A Visit to Sydney’s Manly

If there is one neighbourhood in Sydney that encapsulates everything about this modern beach-side metropolis, it is perhaps Manly. Even getting there is something special. Conventionally you depart from the urban grubbiness of Circular Quay, a place that is, in-theory, blessed with views of the spectacular twin landmarks of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge but neither are easily visible from the wharves crowded with throngs of tourists, and groups watching the buskers and street performers who create a cacophony of competing noise.

Once your ferry departs, those aforementioned landmarks, and indeed the harbour itself, suddenly open up their beauty to you, and the brisk salty breeze feels incredible after the baking heat of the city. The sun sparkles on the blue water as sail boats and the classic green and yellow ferries cruise through your view. Long after the Opera House shrinks to the size of a postage stamp in in the distance, the silver and glass skyscrapers of the CBD rise up shimmering in the sky, and look so neatly positioned next to the majestic dark bridge marking the horizon between blue sky and blue water.

If you can tear your eyes away from the view behind there are points of interest along the way, and glimpses of other destinations. The white stone of the Edwardian Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral makes it easy to spot Balmoral beach and reminisce about lazy days swimming in the refreshingly calm cool water and drinking flat whites on the beach in the shade of a palm tree.

Stepping onto land at Manly feels like arriving in a different world to Circular Quay. It is still Sydney, and there are still tourists, but the business and bustle has been replaced by a relaxed vibe as local and visitor mix happily in the pedestrianised Corso that takes you down the the Ocean Beach—should you choose to go there, because of course Manly also has two harbour beaches with gentle waves for those that like the other sort of beach experience. A little walk along the ocean promenade of bars and cafés takes you to the delightful family friendly cove of Shelly Beach which also has more gentle swimming and even some snorkelling potential that even Bondi and its beautiful neighbouring beaches cannot match.

Every suburb has its share of unique offerings, and a less good side, but I think when most people conjure the idea of Sydney, it is Manly that is closest to actually fulfilling it.

Six Brunch Places in Sydney

Are lists still on trend for bloggers?

  1. Luxe Woollahra – next door to the Armani Junior boutique and a vibe to match.
  2. Belo Bronte – Brazilian themed brunch overlooking the beach.
  3. Casa Ristorante Italiano Darling Harbour – more lunch than brunch, but proper pizza on the waterfront.
  4. Homestead kiosk in Centennial Park – great coffee and banana bread for the Yummy Mummies while they watch the kids in the adventure playground.
  5. Rushcutters Bay kiosk – another trendy hangout with quality coffee conveniently located right next to a fun playground.
  6. Ruby’s Diner Waverley – locals’ hangout I happened upon via Instagram. Tasty food and dairy-free cakes (yes, plural).

Sydney: Familiar Places, New Experiences

I have to admit I was apprehensive about spending an entire two week holiday in Sydney. This is my fifth visit since 2005, and while the most recent two were quick stopovers, they had refreshed the memory of very enjoyable previous trips—would there be enough new memories made on this trip to make it stand out?

There are also advantages to returning to a familiar place. Upon waking to cool and rainy weather on our first morning, our knowledge accumulated from previous trips meant we were quickly able to adjust our plans to something more appropriate. In need of a good brunch to cure jet lag, we knew that the cafés at Bronte beach would fulfil all the criteria—fresh tasty food, good coffee and fabulous views of the ocean. The inclement weather had generated huge crashing waves that were spectacular to watch, and the beach was deserted, giving it a very different atmosphere to the busy weekend bustle of surfers and swimmers we experienced last time.

Our café choice, Bronte Belo, was based on no criteria other than it being the most well patronised on a very quiet day, but once we sat down we had some feelings of familiarity, and the food was pleasingly excellent. There was a sudden heavy rain shower while we ate which fortunately passed over quickly, and the fresh post-rain air made it ideal conditions for walking the cliff path to Bondi, with its dramatic seascape of waves crashing into the cliffs. At Bondi the weather had taken a turn for the worse, the gusts of wind blowing cold sea-spray and painful rough sand at our exposed skin so we cut short our bare-footed walk along the famous beach and made for shelter in the hipster cafés overlooking it.

There are risks when returning to somewhere—favoured old haunts closed or a shadow of former selves—but it is also lovely to really get to know a place, discover those off-the-beaten track places, and hang out with the locals.

Update: Now with a short video (9 seconds) showing just how big the surf was!

Photographs from Sydney

Photographs from our short stopover in Sydney.

Life at the Beach

Following in the tradition created on previous trips to Sydney, our first stop after landing was the Balmoral Bathers Pavilion for a proper Aussie brunch overlooking the golden sand. Sipping great coffee in the strong bright sunshine, and listening to the gentle surf, whilst being cooled by the breeze through the open full-height windows, makes this one of my favourite holiday spots.

Our base for this visit was the suburb of Paddington. Colourful period terrace houses interspersed with boutique shops and hip cafés give the area a unique character, plus it has easy access to the ocean beaches near Bondi. Our second day started overcast so we planned to walk the cliff path from Bronte to Bondi. The sea was thick with surfers at every beach we passed, and there were some real experts putting on a great show of skill in the huge waves that eventually crashed into the beach—no swimmers were being allowed into the water such was the force of the waves. At Bronte we prepared for our walk with an Aussie fry up (familiar, but with added avocado) and delicious banana bread slices the size of door stops. Since it was Good Friday, we had spicy and fruity hot 1 cross buns as a mid-morning snack while we sheltered from a light rain shower at Tamarama.

Back at Bronte, the rain had blown away and although it remained overcast this made it a perfect temperature for just sitting on the foreshore, watching the world go by, and enjoying a fabulous toasted B.L.A.T. sandwich and more good coffee. Refuelled, we decided it was time for a quick dip in the sheltered rock pool. The water was a little bit cool, but refreshing after our long walk and at water level the giant waves were even more awesome, and could cause quite a surge even through the sheltered pool.

Our final day began with browsing the arts and crafty Paddington markets, then we took a trip to Watsons Bay to admire the majesty of Sydney Harbour from South Head. There was a great family atmosphere here with lots of children enjoying the sunshine and the placid water. The famous fish and chips from Doyle’s lived up to their reputation too—beach life is pretty good when it is this civilised.

  1. “hot” because they were served cold[]

Kangaroo Valley and the Blue Mountains

After Christmas we travelled from the NSW coast to the Blue Mountains via Kangaroo Valley and the Southern Highlands. Having previously visited NSW during a drought Kangaroo Valley was surprisingly lush and verdant, so much so that during one woodland walk only the bright and multi-coloured birds gave any clue that this was not Britain!

While the Southern Highlands were pleasantly off the main international tourist route, the spectacular vistas in the Blue Mountains fully justified its reputation.

Canberra

A few photos of Canberra, a city with ample green space and grand architecture. It is difficult to get around without a car though. Despite its master plan being devised in 1912, much of the implementation came much later and exemplifies urban planning of the 1940s and 1950s with large curving roads and roundabouts which make it seem like a grander version of Milton Keynes. Either the original 1912 architect was incredibly prescient to foresee the rise of the motor car, or perhaps he envisioned self-sufficient communities linked by a rail network, it is really not clear how his plan could work otherwise.

Canberra is a very bicycle friendly city, relatively flat with light traffic and ample space for bicycle lanes. Nearby hills such as Mt Ainslie also make for excellent mountain biking apparently, and the coast is only two and a half hours away if you hanker for a weekend on the beach.