Our final day in Sydney dawned clear, sunny and not too hot…perfect for visiting Watsons Bay, the last main destination in our plans. We got our breakfast buffet favorites and got onto the ferry shortly after 10am. The harbor traffic, including a 3-masted tall ship just coming under the bridge, was hard to resist.
So was seeing the Cunard Queen Victoria anchored in Taronga Bay near the zoo. Another ship was at the main cruise terminal so the Queen had to wait her turn. Passengers had to tender their way into Sydney which must have been inconvenient.
The ferry made a stop in Rose Bay, a pretty little community where seaplanes took off and landed. They added some drama to the ride.
The view of the harbor from Rose Bay was very pretty, enhanced by some windsurfers. Sydney Harbor is quite an urban playground.
Our strategy in Watson’s Bay was to walk around enough to justify stopping at Doyle’s for fish and chips. We had been told to check out Camp Cove Beach and I wanted to see the oceanside cliffs. We first walked through Robertson Park to The Gap, a lookout point over the Tasman Sea and the Sydney headlands. We enjoyed the views from The Gap.
Barb settled on a bench while I ventured a bit further south along the cliffside walk and discovered I was nearly at the point in Gap Park where our bus stopped on our first day’s tour. I enjoyed the breeze and the view for a few minutes when I was suddenly surrounded by a busfull of Chinese tourists with no sense of personal space. I fled and made my way back to Barb.
Together, we made our way to Camp Cove which turned out to be a popular little beach, full of families and sun bathers. We took a few photos and figured we had just about done enough to justify having lunch, though it was barely 11:30am.
We walked back to Doyle’s, Australia’s oldest continuously running fish and chips shop founded in 1885. There was a formal restaurant, an informal garden, and at least two carry out options for us to choose from. If you guessed that we would do the carry out you would be correct, especially once we saw the standard fish and chips was more than $50 in the restaurant and under $20 at the carry out. We shared a single order of fish and chips and that was plenty. The fish was thin and nothing special, really. The fries were decent but Barb couldn’t get mayonnaise and wouldn’t pay for ketchup. All in all, we decided Doyle’s was overrated but there weren’t any other choices immediately around the wharf. It was a thing to do.
Barb was willing to head back into town on her own via the ferry so she could do a little more shopping. I bid her farewell from the shore. She couldn’t resist taking some of her own photos of the Opera House when she got near.
That left me free to explore the coastline a little more. I elected to get a bus to Bondi Beach and do a bit of the cliff walk toward Cogee. I knew I wouldn’t do it all, but the day was lovely and I wanted to do at least a bit of the coastal walk. The bus ride was easy, covering exactly the same route our tour took on the first day. I got off at Bondi and took some time to watch the surfers.
I walked south along the beach boardwalk, snapping photos here and there along the way.
I decided maybe a video or two was the best way to capture the scene and the surfers. I took quite a few videos but these were the only ones salvageable. There’s a reason I mostly take still photos.
I got to the south end where the Iceberg Pools and Club were located. Allie had suggested I have lunch there but I was not shopping for food at that point. I lingered a while at the overlook taking in the great view. I walked onward on the cliffside walk, taking lots of photos. It was quite beautiful and the weather was great, especially whenever a cooling breeze came off the ocean.
I eventually made it to the Mackenzies Point Lookout, a spot to take more photos.
I went a bit further on the path, far enough to see Tamarama and Bronte beaches. I took more photos and figured that was far enough for me.
I slowly worked my way back toward Bondi. Altogether I walked less than two hours with a lot of sitting and stops along the way. I am no longer a very intrepid hiker and my sore knee made me less so. But I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the cliff walk and I was glad I did it after all.
I made it back to Bondi and found the 333 bus to Circular Quay. The bus started very crowded with sweaty, wet beachgoers but eventually I got a seat. The bus went down most of the route of the previous night’s pride parade. Things were already mostly cleaned up. Kudos to Sydney’s city workers.
Barb had already completed her shopping, successfully procuring more Tim Tams for Allie and another pair of opal earrings for herself. She was at the hotel pool by the time I got back. I showered and prepared to go up to the lounge for a drink. I tried taking a panorama of our hotel room view but it didn’t come out great. I consoled myself with a few shots of the Carnival cruise ship departing, making way for the Queen Victoria which was still cooling her heels anchored near Taronga.
Eventually, Barb joined me and we discussed options for dinner. Barb ended up making do with the spread of sashimi, dumplings and other goodies, including Balmain Bugs. The bugs were supposed to be served with tartar sauce but none was forthcoming, to Barb’s disappointment. I wasn’t much interested in the hors d’oeuvres buffet so we decided to split up. Barb stayed at the pool for a while to dry her hair and wait for our turn down service (which never came). I elected to go down to the harbor to see the sunset and then pick a restaurant for a light dinner. As the sun’s golden hour was just playing off the Opera House roofs, the Queen Victoria docked and blocked some of the show. I watched for a while and realized I ought to get my dinner before 3,000 people descended from the Queen.
I went to the Fortune of War, a pub recommended by the Four Seasons concierge, but there was a boisterous crowd singing along to Sweet Caroline led by a guitar playing entertainer. I spun on my heels and went to The Pony, another spot recommended by the concierge. I had a nice appetizer of grilled octopus and a side of grilled broccolini. That and a beer were all that I needed. I wished I had more of an appetite but after all the eating we had done on the cruise and in Sydney, that was enough. I snapped a photo of the busy open kitchen in appreciation and thanked the chef, Neil Nolan.
Back in the room, we packed and got ready for our journey home in the morning.
Both Barb and I feel like we did Sydney pretty well, enjoying nearly all of the sights and activities we wanted to hit. The Four Seasons was certainly a very happy home for the week, especially Club 32 and its staff that fed and watered us so well. Our room and the million dollar view were everything I hoped…even if we didn’t quite sync with the housekeeping staff for service some days. We had the best seat in the house. Sydney is a beautiful, well organized city filled with friendly people that didn’t seem to mind the intrusions of a steady stream of tourists. I’m very happy we spent these extra six days to explore and enjoy the city.
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