Thursday August 22, 2019

I boarded the Manly Ferry again today to head into Sydney to visit its third visual gem, the Royal Botanic Gardens.  The gardens opened in 1816 and occupy 74 acres along the harbour, south and east of the Opera House.  It is Australia’s oldest scientific institution and still plays a vital role in protecting native plants as new non-native species are introduced. The huge area contains parkland, formal gardens, many statues, labs, educational and visitor facilities and is also home to the New South Wales State Government.

Seasonally speaking this time is equivalent to late February in the northern hemisphere and there are few colorful flowers but the variation and creativity of the landscaping kept me happily exploring for almost three hours. I’ll include many  photos to try to provide an impression of the variety.

Given the colonial history of Australia I would have liked to have visited the Justice and Police Museum but it is only open weekends and so, after a late lunch at the harbour, I headed back to Manly to explore the area and visit Manly Beach which, while not as famous as Bondi, is a popular surfing venue for Sydneysiders.

The day started with light clouds as seen in this view of parkland at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The NSW Government House.

An example of a small formal garden.

A harbourside wedding in progress.
Fun botanic creations and rides.
Two approaches to adding some color to late winter.
The Wollemi Pine, one of the rarest plant species on earth with only three known natural stands in existence.
The Opera House and Harbour Bridge shrouded in early afternoon cloud.
The Manly Ferry arriving at Circular Quay in Sydney Harbour.
Manly beach was deserted despite the good waves.

Friday August 23, 2019

Road video and map – Manly to Canberra

My route out of Manly required driving over the Harbour Bridge and through the center of Sydney so I made an early start to avoid the worst of the morning rush hour. I stopped south of the city for my  first Australian cooked breakfast which set me up for a day of driving to Canberra.

There is surprisingly little between the cities and I only made two tourist stops along the way. The first was in Royal National Park, south of Sydney, where I walked the path to Bungoona Lookout for the view of the Hacking River and the hills that surround it before heading to the far more dynamic Sea Cliff Bridge further down the coast. This unusual structure was built to protect the coast road from the frequent sea cliff rockfalls that used to crash down on the old road and close it for weeks or months. The bridge is built over the Pacific Ocean and runs parallel to, but away from, the cliff face. There is a pedestrian walkway along the bridge and the scenic views and pounding surf made for a very enjoyable walk.

I then headed to Canberra.

The view from Bungoona Lookout.
Frequent falls from this crumbling cliff used to land on the old road which ran behind the barrier seen at the bottom.
The bridge carries the new road a safe distance away from the cliff.
A view of the bridge and coastline.
and a short video of the surf, bridge and coastline.