Bondi Beach, Sydney

A visit to Sydney is not complete without seeing Bondi Beach. On our third day in Sydney, we hopped on a train from Town Hall and alighted at Bondi Junction after more or less10 minutes. From the junction, we boarded Bus # 380 and reached the drop off in 15 minutes. The driver would announce where visitors can alight.

We crossed the street and walk to the viewing area. Once can see the wide stretch of beach 1 km long. The waves at the time of our visit were strong, crashing to the rocks on one side of the beach. On the right side of the viewing deck is the famous Bondi Iceberg swimming club and restaurant. On the left , there's a stairway to the boardwalk as well as to the beach.

Bondi Beach has many popular cafes, restaurants, and hotels, with views of the beach. There is also a changing area/ washroom.

We strolled on the boardwalk, had some coffee and cookies , watched the Chinese tour group and took photos.

As in Manly, I had to walk on Bondi beach. Since it's early winter, the waters were cold but I had a nice walk on the wet sands and even took home a handful of sand as souvenir.

There were few surfers braving the cold waters. I guessed they are already used to it.

We spent about an hour at Bondi and it was nice to have visited again one of Sydney's famous beaches.

Hope to visit in summer so we can swim.

Return to Manly Beach

It has been 9 years since I last visited Manly Beach. It was a business trip back in 2007 and now in 2016 the trip was for a short vacation.

We took the Manly ferry from Circular Quay using our Opal cards. It was early winter and it was quite windy and chilly. We opted to seat inside the ferry where it was warmer. I went out on the open area from time to time to take photo of the harbour and other interesting sights.

 I wanted to feel the cool breeze on my face but it was too cold so I went inside and chat with my partner. The cabin was clean and comfortable. There's a monitor which showed how many more minutes til we arrive at Manly wharf. The trip was about 30 minutes.

Arriving at Manly wharf, we took the mandatory photo before crossing the street going to the Corso.

 The Corso is a pedestrian plaza with shopping stores and food outlets. You will pass this area before reaching the beach.

We stopped at a dining area and ordered our fish and chips at Manly Ocean Foods. This food outlet serves several combination of seafood and chips. You know it's good when there's a long queue outside.

Many seagulls flock to this area waiting for visitors to throw chips at them. Be watchful as the birds can sneak and steal your  food.

The beach was at the end of the walkway . It still the same wide, clean beach with powdery off white sands as it was nine years ago.

 It has a long boardwalk where one can stroll end to end. There's a public restroom nearby. Most visitors occupied the benches just passing off the time. Though there were some brave surfers doing their stuff.

We found a bench and rested and enjoyed the view.

I wanted to walk on the beach so I removed my shoes and walked barefooted on the beach.

I felt the cold sands under my feet. It was a relaxing moment. I walked near the shore to feel the how cold the water was. It was refreshing.  I took several photos of the beach and the surroundings.

We stayed for over an hour and we had fun though short.

Sydney Fish Market

Want to see the freshest seafood? Visit Sydney Fish Market and get to see the biggest selection of  fresh seafood and taste some of them.

You can board the Sydney Light Rail from the Central Station, The Hay Marker/Paddy's market or Darling Harbour and alight at Fish Market station.

A short 5 minute walk going to the the market is all that it takes. SFM includes a fish port, fresh seafood retail market , delicatessen, cafe, green grocer. As you enter the market, you will be greeted by wide array of seafood- from shrimps, to crabs, to oyster, to scallops, to different fishes etc. Peter's displays lot of these fresh catch which you can buy. Those fresh seafood are gorgeous!

There are numerous food outlets offering baked oysters, sashimi, grilled salmon, sushi, freshly baked bread

 Baked Oysters, grilled salmon and scallops are some of the best sellers.

 The retailers open at 7am everyday except on Christmas day while the auction starts at 530am and can be accessed via the Behind the Scenes tour.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

 
Harbour Bridge is one of the most recognizable structures in Sydney. It can be said that the bridge is one of  the international symbols of Australia.  Tourists flock to Circular Quay, The Rocks, Milson's Point to have a vantage view of the bridge.

One can stroll along the Rocks to get a close up view of the bridge. Walking farther and nearer to one of its Pylons, you can be under the bridge and can see the steel and bolts and rivets supporting the structure.

Sydney tourism offers a bridge climb for a fee. Once on top of the bridge, one can see a fantastic view of the harbour and the Opera House.

 

You can take a ferry to see a different view of the bridge.

Be it from land or from the water, Sydney Harbour bridge is beautiful and a photographer's delight.

How to get there: Take the train to Circular Quay. From the platform , you can already see the bridge. Or walk to the Botanical Garden until you reach Opera House. From Opera House , you can also see the bridge in full view.


http://www.sydneyharbourbridge.info/