Northern Beaches, National Park and Sydney Harbour
Sydney tours - Manly to Palm Beach, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park and Sydney Harbour
Let’s take a trip over to the northside!
This tour focuses on three areas north of Sydney:
· Mosman a suburb loaded with harbourside beaches, bays and points
· the northern beaches of Sydney including Manly Beach, Whale Beach, Avalon Beach and Palm beach;
· Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
We will cover a lot of ground so be ready to enjoy some exceptional landscapes and scenery.
You will see places of historical interest, aboriginal engravings, the Sydney beach culture and world class Sydney Harbour.
Highlights
Over and under
· Start the day with a drive over and then under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and enjoy front row views of the Opera House, Luna Park and the city of Sydney. We discuss the history and construction of Australia’s finest bridge on the way.
Georges Heights
· Next stop is Georges Heights where fortifications were built to defend Sydney Harbour in the 1870s. The original battery and sandstone barracks are one of a trio of fortifications built in Mosman to protect Sydney Harbour's outer reaches.
· Georges Heights also provides expansive views of Sydney Harbour from the heads to the Eastern Suburbs and right through to the city of Sydney. Get your phone ready!
Balmoral Beach
· Nearby Balmoral Beach (named after Queen Victoria’s Scottish Castle) is a relaxed middle harbour beach that is best appreciated by a short stroll along the Esplanade to Rocky Point Island. Rocky Point Island is reached by walking across an arching art deco bridge.
· The Island is not visited by many visitors to Sydney and provides a unique location from which to enjoy the middle harbour section of Sydney Harbour. Gaze across the harbour and you will see Sydney heads, bushland of the Sydney Harbour National Park and a white lighthouse known as the Grotto.
North Head
· After Balmoral we make our way over the Spit Bridge to Manly and enjoy the pristine heathland of North Head (including seasonal wildflowers) and panoramic views of the Heads and Sydney Harbour. North Head is a tied island linked to Manly by a sandspit and has remnant military buildings, a memorial walk and a former quarantine station.
Shelley Beach
· Whilst in Manly we take one of the most scenic ocean walks in Sydney, Manly Beach to Shelley Beach. On the way we wind along the Cabbage Tree Bay Acquatic Reserve shoreline and pass the Oceanides sculpture (sometimes referred to as ‘the sea nymphs’ by locals) and Fairy Bower Sea Pool.
· West facing Shelley Beachis a picturesque beach with a dense patch of tall cabbage tree palms. It is popular with snorkelers, scuba divers and surfers heading to the nearby reef.
· A short 5 minute ascent takes us to a series of lookouts which provide views of the headland rock platform and reef, surfing breaks below and sweeping views of beaches further to the north.
Lunch delight
· It is time for lunch. Your guide will prepare sandwiches with a choice of any or all of the following: cheese, tomato, avocado, roast chicken, mixed salad and a choice of two condiments: jalapeno or mayonnaise.
· The bread is 24 hour fermented sourdough and two salads are provided. The salads are made on the morning of the tour – we like to keep it fresh.
· Drinks will include cold water, Gatorade and kombucha. We may even surprise you with something sweet to finish this dining decadence!
Palm Beach
· From Manly we drive to Palm Beach, which is known for wonderful holiday homes, Barrenjoey Lighthouse and the TV series Home and Away. We drive past the filming location of this series on the way to starting our walk to Barrenjoey Lighthouse.
· The walk which includes a short stretch of beach takes around 25 minutes each way and is well rewarded with direct access to the lighthouse and views of the surrounding ocean and Palm Beach. We may even pay our respects at the sandstone grave of the first lighthouse keeper who was fatally struck by a bolt of lightning whilst going out to collect firewood in 1885.
Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park
· On the way to the Ku-Ring-Gai National Park we take the roads nearest to the coast and see Whale Beach and Bilgola Beach. We stop at Avalon Beach and admire the imposing whale shaped headland at the northern end of the beach, its salt water ocean pool which gets pounded if the swell is up and dramatic cliff line. On most days, subject to conditions, we get a good view of surfers in action.
· We then drive around the inlet known as Pittwater, which seems to have a never ending supply of moored recreational boats and once in the national park we stop at the Basin Aboriginal art site.
· This site contains numerous well preserved sandstone engravings demonstrating the strong connection of the Aboriginal lifestyle with the natural environment. The Ku-ring-gai National Park contains over 800 aboriginal sites and was the home of the Darramurragal and Garigal people.
· Our final stop for the day brings us to the magnificent views on display at West Head. Looking across Pittwater we see an isthmus and Barrenjoey Lighthouse perched on top of the headland. If we look to the north/northwest many beaches of the central coast can be seen and proudly reclining in Broken Bay is the river island, Lion Island. What a view!
Returning home
· The choice is yours. One option is to return to the city by ferry from Manly wharf or we can drive you back to your accommodation. If you have not been on the harbour the ferry is a good option, passing close to the Opera House as the ferry heads to the wharf at Circular Quay.
Length
· Around 9 hours – the time spent at each place is flexible so the day can progress at a pace that suits you. Generally pick up is at 8.30am from your lodgings and we return to your accommodation between 5.30pm – 6.00pm
· We can arrange pick up from boat terminal and drop off at boat terminal
Inclusions
national park entrance fees
bottled water
snacks
delicious lunch
photographs from the day using a digital SLR camera
Exclusions
ferry ticket