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Old 25 Nov 18, 02:23 PM  
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BONZO
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Reef, Rivers and Rainforests – September/October 2018 - Day 7 - Sydney (Manly Beach & Bridge Climb)

Day 7 – Friday 28th September 2018 – Sydney

Reef, Rivers and Rainforests – September/October 2018

Link to trip report index – including pre trip report:
Here

We woke up around 8.30am (after the wakeful night for Alison) and showered and got ready for the day.

We had our first breakfast in the lounge which was really good and coupled with the amazing view of the harbour made the location really special.



Our eldest daughter had flown out to Australia a year or so agao to meet up with an old school friend and after we showed her a photograph of the view she said we were overlooking the swanky back packer’s hostel that she’d stayed in here in Sydney. It's the building at the very bottom of the photo below (if you look closely you can see picnic tables on a large veranda area)



So, today is going to be our start of discovering Sydney so we agreed that our first port of call would be Manly Beach. We took the short walk to Circular Quay and took the ferry over to Manly Beach, the cost of which was covered by the Opal card that we’d previously purchased.The views of the harbour area were really good!












"7 Miles from Sydney and 1000 miles from care" - This was the slogan used by the Port Jackson & Manly Steamship Company in 1940 to describe Manly “Australia’s Premier Seaside Resort” – to be honest, the same holds true today. So, after about 30 minutes we’d arrived and were ready to go.

There was an interesting mix of people here from locals, surfers and tourists like us milling around. The usual range of coffee, restaurants, boutiques shops and tourist shops were around and it was quite busy but had a really friendly feel. We followed the path along the beach to the headland taking in the great views that were all around us. I guess it could get a bit rammed at weekends but here on a Friday it was pleasant enough.







We stopped for lunch and bought a couple of chicken wraps and soft drinks and settled down on the public benches overlooking the beach. The food was delicious but had to be beware of the local birds, although not aggressive they were opportunistic and came very close as they thought they were within half a chance of getting something.



The temperature was ok if walking but because of the breeze it could get a bit chilly if you stayed still for any amount of time. With this in mind we went into one of the many surfer / tourist places and bought a couple of sweatshirts for use during the trip.

We walked around the local shops and area to get more of a feel for the place before heading back to catch the ferry back to Sydney as we were scheduled to do a twilight Harbour Bridge climb. We thought we’d timed it to perfection (judging by Alison’s watch), but as we arrived we just watched the ferry pulling out!

Damn and blast! – well, stronger words were spoken as Alison realised her watch was just a tad slow.

The next regular ferry was half an hour away but thankfully the Fast Ferry service was going in a few minutes so we hopped onto to that and thankfully we made up lost time. We stopped back at the hotel briefly and headed out to the Bridge Climb (we had a bit of trouble finding the entrance initially but eventually made it).

As part of pre-planning we looked to book up the Bridge climb but for some reason the dates we wanted were “blacked out” or even more worrying, nothing available after a certain date. We did some research and found that the current operator was being replaced by a new operator and that future dates were not being made available. We monitored the situation very closely and eventually the all dates became available – phew!

We checked in and went sat and wait until the time came for us to go through to the prep area.








We then went through all the normal health and safety checks including a breathalyser test, makes perfect sense though. Next step was to sign off the disclaimers and change into a fetching jumpsuit. Anything loose like sunglasses, watches, cameras and even tissues / handkerchiefs have to be removed and left in the free lockers provided. Safety is of paramount importance to those involved and nothing is left to chance.

Next we were given additional kit such as a hat (clipped on) Handkerchief (clipped on) and most importantly the safety harness followed by a demo area with stairs to get you used to moving around and going down stairs backwards. The final piece was being kitted out with 2-way radios and then we were on our way.

You start on a long flat transom away from the boarding area, under the roadway and move forwards to the start of the bridge where the actual climb begins. Our guide kept us entertained with history and information as we went and the views were quite spectacular as the sun got lower and lower in the sky.

We climbed steadily up the bridge, taking a break here and there to give aching calf muscles a well-deserved rest. The sky was getting darker and darker in the distance and our guide was kept up to date with situation from the weather spotters on the bridge…then our hearts sank a little…

The team in front of us were on the top of the bridge and having pictures taken and we waited a while before it was our turn to go up to the top. Then our leader gave us the bad news that a thunder storm was closing in and was about 10k away and we’d have to go back down and quickly.

A little bit disappointed as we were in touching distance of the photo opportunity spot but safety is the key thing so down we went at quite a pace and the weather closed in. After we’d got out of our fetching jump suits we were approached by one of the other members of staff who told us that we couldn’t have the photographs that were already taken at the half way point but we were entitled to free of charge return visits.

So, you’ll have to take our word for it that we very nearly completed the entire climb. Overall I’d do it again in a heartbeat, the team were very professional and the climb was fantastic. Just shame about the weather.

We gave our details for the free return visit voucher and made our minds up to come back another year (we knew we didn't have time this trip).

We took the short walk back to the hotel to freshen up and get ready for the evening as we had arranged to meet up with a family friend (our oldest DDs best friend who is out here in Australia for a couple of years).

We spoke to the lounge staff and they agreed we could guest Becca into the lounge for a while for a small charge (although nothing came of the charge) and Alison went downstairs to escort her up to our level where we had a couple of drinks and snacks before it closed for the evening.

We were all getting a bit peckish and then we realised we had some hotel food and drink credit to use so we just went down to the lobby area and into the Grain Bar for something to eat and drink.
We ate, drank, chatted and laughed our way all evening before it was time for Becca to go and us to call it a night. We said our goodbyes and waved Becca off before heading back to our room to crash.

Some pics of the food and drink (and Becca):









After a long day we were really tired – Alison especially, so she was really hoping for a good night’s sleep.

Alison here:
I managed about half an hour’s sleep this time! How silly! Not to worry – I assumed my normal position behind the curtain overlooking the opera house and read books on my kindle.




Suddenly around 2.30am it seemed to get a bit darker – I looked up and realised that the opera house was in darkness – well, who knew that they turn the lights off! (Well, I do now!)

This is the comparison pre and post 2.30am!




Transport count (running total!):

Flights: 4
Ferries: 2
Trains: 5
Trams: 2
Tubes: 1
Ubers/Taxis: 3
Coaches/Buses: 4
Step Count today: 12728
Total step count for the trip: 69601
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1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon
1989 ~ Off site
1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe
1999 ~ Off site
2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti)
2003 ~ WL & HRH
2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary
2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay
2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF
2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL
2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL
2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL

Edited at 05:49 PM.
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Old 25 Nov 18, 03:55 PM  
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Melbatb
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What a shame about the photo opportunity on the bridge! It sounds although it was a great day nevertheless!
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Index of my trip reports
2016 Quebec - Kuala Lumpar - New York City 2017 Dubai - Eurocamps France - Ontario and Quebec - So-Cal 2018 Montreal - Bangkok - New England 2019 Argentina - Quebec City - Hong Kong - 2020 Switzerland 2022 Arizona - Costa Med Cruise - Oslo 2023 Hong Kong - Gothenburg
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Old 26 Nov 18, 10:45 AM  
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BONZO
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Yes - a real pity about the lack of photographs from the bridge but that means we'll just have to go back then!
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1988 ~ Contemporary ~ Honeymoon
1989 ~ Off site
1994 ~ EuroDisney ~ Santa Fe
1999 ~ Off site
2001 ~ CBR (Aruba) ~ Poly (Tahiti)
2003 ~ WL & HRH
2004 ~ Pop Century, RPH, CSR, PBH, Contemporary
2006 ~ DLP ~ Newport Bay
2007 ~ POR ~ HRH ~ GF
2008 ~ All star sports, BCV, RPH, Vero Beach, VWL
2010 ~ OKW ~ BCV ~ HRH ~POP Century ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL
2013 ~ AKL ~ HRH ~ BCV ~ Vero Beach ~ VWL
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