Manly Scenic Walkway

Tuesday 13 November

Grabbed a bite at a French banquet. Bought one pizza snack and something with chicken and curry. I caught the bus to Circular Quay and waited for the ferry to Manly. Enough time to walk to the travel desk at Circular Quay to book a day trip to the Blue Mountains. Once that was arranged, I received my voucher.

The day started promising with a lot of sunshine and everything running smoothly. Alright! Hopped on the ferry and enjoyed the trip to Manly. Just a lovely day! Once ashore at Manly, went off to Manly Beach. It should be looking different now than yesterday. The beach wasn't crowded at all.

Plenty of space left to choose where ever you want to lie down and soak up the sun. Not for me anyway, going for a walkabout. Walked back to the bus station at Manly wharf. Got hold of a visitor guide about the Manly Scenic Walkway, in case I get lost during the walk. It was a very detailed map about the area with lots of info.

At the bus station, I talked with an old woman and about the walk. "Nice walkway", she said. Not many people are doing it. It's a long walkway and sometimes it's pretty rough. I wanted to start at the Spit Bridge and walk all the way back to Manly wharf. The bus driver forgot to drop me off, so I took another bus to the Spit. Before crossing the Spit Bridge, I got out of the bus. My starting point, it should take around three to four hours to get back to Manly. Not going for a new world record, I just started very slowly. It's going to be a big long walk.

When I started it was quite sunny, fortunately there was a breeze so it was a comfortable walk. The walking tracks were graded from gentle to hard. Wearing good walking or hiking shoes is essential! While walking I passed some of the most beautiful sights around Manly. I'm so glad that I brought my Minidisc along, just listening to music makes it more comfortable.

From time to time, took it easy and sat down, drank some water and enjoyed the view. Saying "Hi" to other walkers and continued my journey. Later in the afternoon it was getting cloudy and the breeze was getting stronger. I was already three quarters on my way.

I also saw an Aboriginal site. Signs were carved into rocks. They lived here for centuries, before the Europeans discovered Australia. Everything has faded away, what was left could be seen on those rocks. Seeing Manly wharf in the distance was a pretty good feeling. Almost there! The breeze was getting stronger, also a bit chilly now, because the sun was gone. In the distance dark clouds were rising. Could it be rain? I didn't want to be surprised by a local shower, so I started to walk a bit faster.

5:15 PM. I finally arrived at Manly wharf. It was possible to walk further to Manly Beach and then turn right to Shelly Beach. I have walked enough for today, bought a snack and waited for ferry back to Circular Quay. Not tired at all, but I'm glad that I have completed the Manly Scenic Walkway. It was great!!!

Back in the city, I bought a couple of chicken drumsticks and juice at Woolworths. Took the bus back to the hostel. Did my laundry first and then went off to the dining room. Sat down and started to eat my first real meal for today. Yummy!

Once the laundry was done, tossed all my wet clothes into the dryer. It takes at least 40 minutes, so enough time to visit the internet cafe to check my e-mails. Once back at the hostel, collected my clothes from the laundry and walked to my room. Packed for tomorrow and wrote my diary for today. Listened to music and entered dreamworld.