An Excursion to Manly Beach

Sydney has had a string of wet weekends in June, so when I saw a weekend that was forecasted to be sunny and clear, an excursion to the beach came to mind! We left in the morning of a Saturday, and took the ferry to Manly Beach from the Sydney city. Since the ferry ticket already cost $14 return, we chose to purchase the day pass at $21 each for unlimited rides on the ferry, trains and buses for the day. The journey on the ferry took about 30 minutes, with clear blue skies and water surrounding us throughout.

Manly

Inside the ferry

The ferry looked old from the outside, but was very well-maintained inside. The seats were comfortable and clean, with plenty of legroom in between rows. There was also a cafe inside the ferry, if you’re in need for that caffeine boost. But for me, I was more interested in hanging out on the back of the ferry, reading my newspaper under the bright sun.

Manly

View from inside the ferry

On the ferry, leaving Sydney behind

Skyline of Sydney

Wish to be on one of the boats!

Giant puffy yachts

Sydney city and the Harbour Bridge

In between reading the papers, taking pictures and admiring the scenery, we reached Manly Wharf before we knew it!

Expensive houses along the coast

Manly Wharf

Shops along The Corso

From the wharf, it was just a few minutes walk to The Corso, which is the main pedestrian walk along plenty of shops selling souvenirs, clothes, food and groceries, among others. It was a pleasant and leisurely walk lined with coconut trees and the view of the Tasman Sea ahead. Of course, being a tourist attraction, one is not encouraged to purchase souvenirs from here, but you’d be surprised to find that there are some pretty reasonable restaurants around. Ivanhoe, for example, serves steaks at $10! Next to The Corso is a weekend market with stalls selling more clothes, decorative items and souvenirs.

Manly

The Corso

Weekend market along The Corso

Restaurants along The Corso

Straight ahead to Manly Beach

After a 10-minute walk from the wharf, we finally reached the beach. It was filled with not only people, but seagulls! There were plenty of them lining the beach, absolutely oblivious to the presence of human around them.

Manly

Trees and blue skies

The super tall tree could not fit my camera lens!

Feeding the seagulls

Human and birds bonding on the beach

Along Manly Beach

Too cold to sun bathe, so playing with sand would do

We spent about an hour or so there, just walking along the beach, taking photos and observing the people around us. It was beautiful, relaxing and the sound of waves was therapeutic in a way. When it got too cold, we headed towards one of the restaurants for lunch. That would be a story for the next post! In the mean time, enjoy the views of Manly Beach, and the cute picture of a mother with 2 little girls.