Manly O' Manly

Manly is a short half hour ferry from Sydney Harbour, perfect for a day trip or even just the afternoon. We spent most of the afternoon on the beach so didn't get to see anything more than the coastline, not that we complained. We did however enjoy a lovely lunch at this Japanese restaurant located right on the dock and a mooch along the cute little shops. 

We finished with a paddle in one of the beaches and some delicious Cold Rock ice cream. 

xxx

Boats N Hoes

So my amazing friend Emma treated us to a cruise through Sydney Harbour. No idea where we set off from or what day this was on the trip. Might have been the day after a huuuge bar crawl in Surry Hills (?) as I vaguely remember everyone hanging.

It was a perfect little day out, saw the Bridge and the Opera House from the middle of the Harbour, Charlotte drove the boat under the Bridge, went to the Fish Market and then had a quick dip on the way back. 

Big Love to Emma 

xxx

Tilba Tilba, the town so nice they named it twice

Emma heard about this quaint rural town in the meadows, just off the coastline, due to its cheese & wine fame. The old boys at the pub/store told us we should head up the mountains as there was a fantastic walking track. Next time.

We weren't sure how we were getting to Sydney at this point either because every highway we needed to be on was closed, so continued up the coast to Narooma to find a motel for the night. Watching the news that evening was interesting as there were still fires popping up everywhere. Charlotte wondered if the world was ending because there were also floods up in Queensland and a cyclone headed for Western Australia. Nah. Typical Aussie summer, that. 

Anyway we woke up the next morning and were able to go as far as Batemans Bay, heading inland through Goulburn and straight onto Sydney. This was the closest we got to fires, we could see the fiery red sky in the distance as well as aerial firefighters dropping water bombs.

Finally making it safely back to Sydney, we celebrated with a Bubble O' Bill.

xxx

Stunning sapphire

Finally we were cruising along the Sapphire Coast region in the south of NSW. Starting in Tathra for Charlottes first Chicken Parmigiana and pot deal (An Aussie pub meal staple). 

This drive is incredible, deserted beaches, picturesque mountain ranges, serene lakes and rivers and if you're lucky a bit of whale watching. 

xxx

ROADTRIP!

We started our road trip from Melbourne to Sydney on the morning when the worst of the bushfires were being reported on the news. Great! So we had to make a few last minute changes along the way. First stop was Merimbula, about 5-6 hours drive from Melbourne. 

My uncle, aunt and cousin were staying there already so caught up with them for a drink in the evening and then for a lovely breakfast on the boulevard in the morning.

We explored the beaches, waiting till it we found a safe route and then continued on our way, headed towards the stunning Sapphire Coast.

xxx

Easy St Kilda

Due to the ten or so bars we went to the day before, this day was hard. So it was a late start, lunch, a brief farewell to Bel and then time for Nicole to rejoin us for another night out on Chapel street (This time much tamer than the night before). Was starting to get a bit emotional as it dawned upon me that this was the last night in Melbourne for quite some time.

It was quite strange to be back in Melbourne this weekend, playing tour guide and also seeing it again for what seemed like the first time. I've undeniably fallen in love with this incredible city all over again, think I won the girls over to the neverending greatness of Melbourne too. 

xxx