On our second evening in Sydney we had dinner at one of the nicest restaurants in the city called Aria. It’s situated directly adjacent to the Opera House, so it’s a great spot for people watching. Afterwards we took a few photos of Sydney all lit up at night. First, the Sydney Harbor Bridge.
Then, of course, the Opera House, which takes on a whole new look in the evening. It was excellent weather and the people were out in droves!
Sydney is definitely one of the more gorgeous cities at night!
The next morning we took an Uber from the hotel to the Spit Bridge, and commenced the hike along the waterfront leading to Manly.
The hike leads under the Spit Bridge and along the shoreline. Here is the Spit Bridge (so named because it’s built on a sand spit) from the trail.
We saw this rather large lizard on the side of the trail. These guys became quite numerous, to the point Kim nearly stepped on one! My brief research indicates this is called a Jacky Dragon.
The trail meanders along the waterfront and provides excellent views!
This area is Clontarf Beach, and allows for dogs to be off leash. There were a lot of them frolicking out in the water since it was low tide.
Around every turn of the trail were more excellent views! There were expensive yachts moored all over the place, definitely a rich man’s playground.
We made it about a third of the way to Manly, and because it was so humid we decided to Uber the rest of the way. On a positive note, it seems you can catch an Uber from pretty much anywhere in the Sydney area! After a local brew at 4 Pines Brewery (highly recommended), we headed to Manly Beach.
It was nice to visit “Manly Beach” before the woke crowd renames in to “They/Them Beach”. I don’t think it will be quite as nice once that happens.
Definitely pop off the shoes and walk in the surf…the temps were perfect. If only we had brought our suits!
From Manly you can take a ferry back to Sydney Harbor. Ferries leave every 15 minutes, so it’s extremely convenient.
The headlands here are where the open ocean reaches the Harbor. I sailed through this spot in 1987 when I was in the Navy, but I don’t recall it.
The ferry gives you yet another perspective on the Opera House. Seen enough of it yet?
That night we took a ferry from Circular Quay to Darling Harbor for a dinner reservation. This spot in central Sydney is home to 9 different ferry lines. Sydney Cove, where Circular Quay is located, was the site of the initial landing of the First Fleet, a group of 11 British vessels bringing settlers to Australia for the first time. In January 1788, the ships, with over 1400 convicts, military, colonial officials and free settlers landed here and established the first British settlement of New South Wales. History lesson over!
The best views of the city seem to be from the ferries, so take a few rides while you are here!
Outside Sydney’s Maritime Museum is a full-sized replica of HMS Endeavour, the ship Captain Cook commanded that reached Australia in April 1770. Cook was the first European to reach Australia.
On our way back from dinner the ferry views were even more dramatic!
The Sydney Harbor Bridge is beautiful from any angle.
Coming up, we climb up inside one of the Sydney Harbor Bridge pylons for more views, and then take a hike from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach.