We first stopped back in Manly to make it out to North Head Sanctuary so we could make it out to the end of the peninsula (we never made it out the whole way when we were there last). It was certainly worth the trip back to Manly! W arrived at the car park at the end of the sanctuary and followed the walking path out to the end of the peninsula. We found ourselves standing at the north side of the entrance to the harbor 25 meters above the water on a cliff looking southwest toward the city. It was by far the best views of the Sydney skyline!
After taking in the views of the city, we decided to leave and head farther north. After half an hour of driving, we ended up in Palm Beach, at the end of the northern beaches peninsula, looking out north towards Broken Bay. With the light drizzle, cool breeze, and overcast sky, we felt like we were in the Pacific Northwest. We stopped in town, across from the beach, at a coffee shop for a cuppa and a sausage roll. We sat outside and enjoyed morning tea watching the waves crash on the surfers and orange colored beach. When we finished, and made our way back to the car, I stopped when I heard the familiar laughing coming from a kookaburra. I was really keen to show my parents one and have them listen to the contagious laughing calls. If you have never heard a kookaburra laughing, please a video below. It is by far one of the best bird noises that I have ever heard, and it will surely get you to start laughing along! What a beautiful bird!
We headed back down the coast to get home. As we got closer to home, the weather started clearing more and more; the sun finally decided to show and the rest of the day turned out quite well. Back in Kirribilli, we decided to have lunch just up the street from the apartment at the Fish and Chip shop and deli.
Dad and I both had the special- grilled John Dory with chips, and a small salad. My mom was keen on the lamb roast sandwich. I had never tried John Dory, an extremely ugly fish if you ask me, but my dad said it was good. It was cooked perfectly and was tender with the perfect consistency; I was surprised how light the flavor was!
After lunch, we headed over the harbor to Circular Quay via the train. When we arrived, we ran into, of all people, Linda and Ernie! We couldn’t believe it! We knew that they were in Sydney and would be here for a couple days overlapping our stay but what are the chances of running into them?
We walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens looking at species of different fauna from around the world. Each specimen was labeled with its species name and family. I was really impressed with the layout of the park and the information provided to its patrons. After making it out to MacQuaries Point, just across Farm Cove from the Sydney Opera House, we headed back into Circular Quay where we stopped at the bar/restaurant where we ate on the first night to have a beer with Linda and Ernie. We really enjoyed their company and had a nice conversation looking over the water at the Harbour Bridge and the ferries coming in and going out of the Quay.
After parting with Linda and Ernie, we headed back to Kirribilli to have some dinner. We decided on the Pizza place just up the street. My mom and I both had pizza and my dad had pasta. Why is it that everything here is so delicious? It is so obvious that Australians take food seriously. They really seem to care what goes out on the plate to customers. You rarely get this kind of delicious consistency at home, unless you are eating at the same restaurants as Michelle Obama.
Tomorrow, we are going to hang around the city on the last day. I’m looking forward to heading back to the fish market one last time to eat some oysters!