Australia, 2009-11-25
We were running out of time in Sydney, although we’d heard Melbourne was less expensive, and were lookingforward to saving some money. Up and out early on a day that promised gorgeous weather, we grabbed another transportation day pass and headed out to Manly Beach.
On the way over I noticed two policement stationed on the ferry, chatting casually. It struck me that they were the first police I’d seen the entire trip thus far.
In the Manly ferry terminal we spotted a Subway an realized we were quite famished. Normally, subway wouldn’t be my preferred fare, but for $8 for a foot-long (no “$5 foo-long here”), Nae and I split a relatively good meal for $4/each, which would end up being our cheapest meal of the entire trip. As an added bonus, and you can dump on all the veggies you want, for now extra cost. Contrast that with the breakfast bars we saw advertised in a grocery store that boasted “high in carbohydrates!, and you’ll perhaps understand why we felt a little mineral-deprived.
Manly, and the abutting Steyne Beach, is a nice little strip of land, a little higher class yet slightly less expensive than Bondi. Or, that could be that it’s slightly less popular than Bondi, and as of yet doesn’t quite have the prices nor the dirt that tourism brings. Of the two, I think next time I’d like to try
staying in Manly for a few nights.
After a beach walk up to Steyne under a clear blue sky, a nice change from yesterday’s drizzles, the girls plopped down for some rays while Jorden and I swam out for some body surfing. There’s plenty of no-swim zones with the mess of powerful currents along the beach, and even on the small 3-4 footers we were catching, I could see how it’d be easy to get quickly pulled out in a rip. The water was warm enough to not require a wetsuit, but cold enough that you’d get chilly after an hour or so. The loss of energy due to heat diffusion and fighting the currents could drag even serious swimmers out. Unlike in SoCal beaches, the lifeguards would actually paddle out periodically and tour around the edge of the surf checking for problems. (And, afterward, would take a quick nap on the beach, occasionally topless.)
The mood to explore some more struck back, and we reversed our direction to start wandering south. We passed out of Steyne, through Manly and more of the oceanside pools, through Shelly Beach, and began hiking up into the Parkhill Reserve.
The temperature climbed quicker than we did, and we were hot and sweaty within no time. We were rewarded with some great views up and down the coastline. Eventually, we were able to find some old WWII anti-aircraft artillery bunkers, get a little bit lost, and come out the other side somewhere near an artillery school. Everyone else on the trail gave up and turned back, which made the “find” feel a little more special — until we realized that we could’ve reached the bunkers via three minute walk from the roadside, if we’d come from the opposite direction. Oh well. It was a nice hike.
After returning to Manly from the west, we quickly hopped on a ferry — most likely walking past Frenchie, as it turns out — and returned to the hostel for some food, drinks, and socializing. It ended up being a logistical night: taking advantage of the laundry machines, Nat and Jorden realizing that 6 pairs of jeans per person weighs a lot and isn’t necessary, and figuring out how to deal with the screaming Chinese neighbors (I gave lanaea my travel earplugs).
Oh, and the Israelia guys I was hanging with asked if I was 40. Ouch.
