Hermitage Foreshore Walk

During my summer holidays I tried to do a few touristy things around Sydney.
One of them was to walk the Hermitage Foreshore Walk that goes from Rose Bay to Nielson Park.

In the Sydney Top 10 it says:
Overlooking Shark Bay, this park (Nielson) has been a favourite since 1912. At it's north end is Shark Beach and the Historic Greycliffe House. To the west is Steel Point, site of a former defensive battery, and the start of the 1.5 km Hermitage Foreshore Walk back to Rose Bay. pg 51

Rose Bay (east)

Rose Bay: The largest cove in Sydney Harbour is embraced by Point Piper to the west and Vaucluse to the east. Northeast of Point Piper is Shark Island. To the east is Hermit Point, reputedly the haunt of a reclusive former convict. In 1942 a Japanese submarine lobbed shells into Rose Bay, presumably aiming for the former flying-boat base; it's still the base for Sydney Harbour's seaplanes. pg 97 

Beginning of the walk at Rose Bay

Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent cemetery 

Queens Beach

Hermitage Beach

Tingara Beach

We stopped here for an hour or so to swim, relax and read. We shared the beach with lots of kayaks and only one other couple. Magic! Perfect!

Shhhhhh don't tell anyone about this little beach - it's our secret.

Milk Beach

It was an easy walk along boardwalks and beaches with spectacular views of Sydney Harbour at every turn.

View from Steel Point

Shark Beach

Nielson Park: On summer weekends, this sheltered harbour beach is packed with picnicking families. The adjacent park has good spots for cricket or frisbee. Small children can safely play in the water, but keep in mind that the harbour floor dips away suddenly. pg 49

We finished with lunch and another swim at Shark Beach.

A perfect summer's day activity.

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot

Sydney's Northern Beaches

The only comment my Top 10 Sydney guidebook has for this area of Sydney is,

"Northern Beaches: this stretch of stunning ocean beaches runs from Manly to Barrenjoey Head."

I visited some of these beaches last month from north to south.

I started at Palm Beach (see last week's post) and kept going until the blustery summer weather got too much for me.

Many of these beaches have rock baths, including Whale Beach below.

To the left is Little Head and to the south is Dolphin Bay & Careel Head.

Whale Beach

Avalon also has rock baths on it's southern end.

Hole in the Wall is on the left and Bilgola Head to the right.

Avalon Beach

View looking north from Bilgola Head.

Avalon Beach, Bangaley Head and Barrenjoey Headland.

Bilgola Head Lookout

Looking south to Bilgola Beach, Newport and Bungan Head.

Bilgola Head Lookout

The blustery weather was bringing in lots of seaweed by the time I got to Bilgola Beach.

Bilgola Beach and Rock Baths

The Rock Baths at the southern end of Newport Beach were a favourite subject for well-known photographer Max Dupain in the 1930's.

Newport Beach

There are many more northern beaches between Newport and Manly... but that's enough skiting about our beautiful wide sandy beaches for now!

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.

Lunar New Year in Sydney

Happy Lunar New Year and welcome to the cheeky year of the Monkey (that's me!)

Sydney has put on another fabulous display for the Lunar NY.

We missed the night markets and parade, but I did get a chance to find half of the lunar lanterns that line the city streets and malls during the week.

The Queen Victoria Building once again, made a striking lantern feature in their centre dome.

Martin Place hosted the horse and ox lanterns as well as a noodle market.

Jiahua Qian (2016) inspired by the chariots found with the Terracotta Warriors

Tianli Zu (2016) comprises over 700 illuminated mahjong tiles

The Rooster and Rat adorned one entrance of the Pitt St Mall.

At the other was this little happy piggy!

Brad Clark & Alex Sommer (2016)

The Four Season Peace Tiger graces the square outside the QVB.

Hu Ming (2016) "Always at Peace. Always be safe."

Four Seasons Peaceful & Safe

The following day I spotted the monkey lantern outside the Opera House as I went by on the ferry - which explains why the photo quality is not as good.

Mixing traditions and cultures, Tan's monkeys reference the three wise monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. They sit on top of a pencil, that spells out 'Sydney' in Chinese characters.

Laurens Tan (2016)

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot.

Barrenjoey Lighthouse and Palm Beach

Palm Beach is no. 3 on the top 10 beaches listed in my Top 10 Sydney guide. It says,

"An hour's drive north of Sydney, the area around this beach is a magnet for the city's glitterati. "Palmie" is a lovely beach fringed by pine trees, and was made famous by the soap opera Home and Away. For a cruisy afternoon, catch the Pittwater ferry for a loop around the bay....

The Barrenjoey Lighthouse overlooks Broken Bay, the Central Coast and the Hawkesbury River....

Broken Bay is a beautiful, wide and sometimes wild expanse of water dominated by Lion Island, an uninhabited rocky outcrop."

First up - I've never heard anyone call Palm Beach, 'Palmie'. 

As a child, I lived in Ettalong, across the waters from Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Lighthouse. It was so close, but until last month, I had never visited the area. My childhood is illuminated by the constant flashing of the light and the crouching presence of Lion Island (the little green patch in the middle of Broken Bay above).

Secondly - I wish I had read my Top 10 guide before visiting Palm Beach. 

The cruisy loop around the Pittwater would have be delightful. The loop takes in Bennett Wharf,  Bonnie Doon, The Basin, Currawong Beach and Mackerel Beach.

It's such a trek to get to Palm Beach - it's a day trip really, if you want to see everything on offer. I'm not sure I'll ever make it up that way again! 

Although I would like to walk around the West Head Lookout, so perhaps I can do the cruisy thing in reverse one day.

But for now - my photos!

I walked up to the lighthouse on a hot, humid summer's day.

The top part of the walk is quite steep and exposed.

I don't recommend it unless you're well prepared with water, hat and something to fan your face.

And swimmers - so when you make the beach again, you can jump straight in!

(The website also suggests not to climb during high winds.)

This is the view from the top looking south towards Sydney. 

On the right is the Pittwater and Station Beach. The jetty you can just see halfway down the beach is part of The Boathouse - where a lot of the filming for Home and Away happens. You can also grab a bite to eat there, if you don't mind huge crowds and queues.

On the left is beautiful Palm Beach and the Pacific Ocean.

(Home and Away fans can also find Summer Bay Surf Club at the southern end of Palm Beach.)

Barrenjoey Lighthouse was built in 1881.

It's a sandstone, heritage listed building.

It is now part of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park.

You can only do tours of the lighthouse on Sundays. On the other days of the week you can wander all around the headland to admire the views...with fewer people!

Lion Island - a river island - is one of the enduring symbols of my childhood.

I was swamped by nostalgia the moment I topped the rise and spotted it crouching in the middle of Broken Bay, protecting the entrance into Ettalong, Umina and Pearl Beach.

The walk up and back was hot work, but the landscape was fascinating.

View of the Lighthouse and Barrenjoey Headland from Palm Beach.

A panorama of Palm Beach.

The water was delicious!

This post is part of Saturday Snapshot