Oops… I disappeared again. I need to stop doing that.
Quick life update: I’ve started a new job and after some visa delays was in a bit of a funk. Now I am finally starting to feel like I’m back in a routine again. As part of that routine, I’ve been making a point of trying to go someplace new on the weekends. And I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how accessible a lot of these places have been from Sydney’s CBD.
It’s still winter in Australia, but one weekend I managed a short trip to some of Sydney’s northern beaches because, well, I actually don’t remember exactly why I wanted to go outside of my general need to frolic and explore, and the voice in my head that was probably saying something along the lines of, “So what if it’s winter? I’m in Australia! How cold could it possibly be?”
WELL. Let me tell you, it can be preeetty cold.
It certainly wasn’t the right weather for frolicking, going on the coastal walk I’d originally planned to do, or being outside in general— forget the beach! The forecast for that day was heaps of rain. Oh, and of course the bitter cold which was, of course, made worse by getting wet.
But my mind was made up (and a car had already been booked, oops) so there was no turning back. On the bright side it made for a decent picture-taking outing, and I learned quite a bit about taking photos in low light. Perhaps not my best but here are a few of my faves:
Freshwater Beach
My first stop was north of Manly at Freshwater beach. You can actually walk here from Manly via a nice coastal path, but we opted to drive because of the weather. Fun fact: The first surfing demonstration in Australia was held here in 1915.
Curl Curl
A little further from Freshwater is Curl Curl. The north end has a lagoon with calm waters and the south end has a sheltered rock pool — both great for swimming — but the waters in between are best meant for surfing. While I was there you could spot the line of surfers out in the water waiting to catch the next big wave. (Though in my photos I think they look like tiny ants).
Palm Beach
If you were to drive straight from Sydney to Palm Beach it would probably take you just about an hour, so… not within walking distance. But it’s pretty and even despite the clouds, makes for some nice views. As appears to be the norm with the beaches in Sydney, there’s a path you can take along the coastline that takes you from one side of the peninsula to the other. Side note: Some really friendly parakeets make their home here.
There are more beaches in-between these three but the weather ended up being too crappy to stop at each one. So my day didn’t go as planned but all that means is that I’ll just have to make another trip up north in the future. That, and maybe I should check the weather before locking in these last minute day trips. 🙂
-C
