The Harbour, Manley and a Great Meal – Day 23

Today dawned very wet in Sydney, so it was a relaxed start while the weather cleared. The hotel we are staying in has a great location in the Rocks, just above the Harbour, and we found cooks a mean breakfast, so it was no hardship to linger. I received a telling off from Marion, she noticed that Asian women are constantly either taking selfies or having their picture taken by their partners. She felt that I was not caring enough. So at the end of this blog I will chart Marion’s poses during the day.

So we headed to the Opera House so that we could walk along the Central Quay to the ferries.

It is a lively spot with tourists and locals jostling, as the ferries are an important part of the Sydney inter-urban transport system. Today we took the famous Manley ferry, which does was it says on the tin and sails to Manley, a seaside resort at the mouth of Sydney Harbour about thirty minutes from downtown. It is a lovely trip from the views of the Harbour and the Opera House through the outer reaches of the harbour. We were able to sit outside, the breezes relieving the humidity of the morning.

Manley is a brash seaside resort, full of discount shops, and bars, but it does have a famous beach. This was the venue for a week’s surfing competition last week, however when we there the surf was little tame, this did not stop around fifty people in the water waiting to try their luck with the waves.

This afternoon I walked the Sydney Harbour Bridge, not the walk across the top but on the road deck, that gives spectacular views of Sydney’s Harbour. The only snag is the noise of the six lanes of traffic and commuter rail trains that cross along side you. However the panoramic view of the harbour activity more than compensates.

When Laura was in Sydney at the beginning of the month she recommended a restaurant, Ester, so we gave it a try. The cooking is based around using the extreme heat of a wood fired oven, which gives most things a smoky taste. We moved smoothly from roasted oysters, through blood sausage, potato pasta with scallops to hanger steak to finish with a lemon pudding accompanied by left over sour dough ice cream that was truly outstanding. The meal was paired with Australian wines, all in all a great recommendation by Laura and a really enjoyable evening out.

Finally to recompense Marion I include a few photos of her being a typical tourist.