A Manly Walk

For the tourists, a Daytripper ticket - unlimited use on trains, buses and ferries - is a pretty cheap way of getting around to see some sites. By using all three modes, we got our money's worth with a visit to the North shore of Sydney, to Manly.

It was good to take a step back and see the Sydney skyline as we did as the ferry pulled away from the harbour. The Opera House looks better round the back, I think, and the traffic on the bridge was back in business after taking a rest for the 75th birthday party.

As we sat by the beach on a hot and sunny day at Manly, Kyle had designs on sitting there most of the afternoon with her book. I wasn't having that, though, once I found out there was a good scenic coastal 10km walkway that took you from the port at Manly to the Spit Bridge, taking you through the Sydney Harbour National Park. Before we headed to the final point where we were to catch our bus back to the city centre, passing through woodland and across beaches, there was wildlife galore, from massive spiders to crazy lizards. It was a nice, pretty easy-going walk, but tiring enough to wear us out for an overnight bus journey to Byron Bay.