Wednesday 22 October 2014

Off the beaten track

Being 35 weeks pregnant with our second, I think I can be forgiven for dreaming of a time when I had the energy to go for long adventurous hikes in Sydney’s beautiful national parks. These days, if it’s not lack of sleep and energy that’s letting me down, it’s the fact that there’s big cliffs, fire trails that are unsuitable for prams and other child unfriendly hazards. Which essentially means that I am pretty much confined to the beach - about the only place where our darling daughter will sit still long enough for me to have a rest. I know, it’s a tough life :) 

Sedentary though my current lifestyle may be, it doesn’t stop me from dreaming about all the beautiful walks and views around here.

Here’s one of my absolute favourites from my pre baby days – the Bundeena to Marley head loop track in the Royal National Park. 

It’s about 11 kilometres long and both starts and finishes in Bundeena, which is accessible both by ferry from Cronulla, and by road through the park. 


Part of the Royal National Park's coastal track, this walk features stunning views of Sydney, as well as out to sea, with huge cliffs and amazing white rocks. 






As you can see from the trail, this terrain is unsuitable for even the most off-road worthy of prams (and trust me, I've thought of trying) but that no doubt adds to the charm...





And at the end, or rather half way through (it is a loop track after all) you get to hang out on this gorgeous beach...




Just make sure you leave enough time to get back on that last ferry...:) 


Sunday 12 October 2014

Playing tourist

What an amazing couple of weeks it has been. After almost a month of non-stop rain, the sun is out, the skies are blue and to top it all off, we were lucky enough to be able to spend lots of time catching up with one of my very good friends from the UK who came to visit us. It’s been such a magical couple of weeks that I’m feeling quite sad they've had to come to an end, so I’m going to cheer myself up by blogging about some of the highlights we have shared...

Gorgeous beautiful Bondi, without the masses of tourists that will be a familiar sight come summer...




A magical afternoon on Jibbon beach in the Royal National Park – I really can’t get enough of this place, for obvious reasons, and it’s been so lovely to be able to share this beauty.








Rose bay – perfect for children, due to its shallow waters. Which means it’s perfect for parents too. A great place to actually relax :)




Milk beach, quite possibly the most perfect beach in Sydney...




And brunch at Watsons bay, followed by more beach time...


Saying goodbye is the single one part of expat life that I really don't like and I don't think I will ever get used to, but at least we have some amazing memories that will last a lifetime...