Faced with another wonderful day of blue skies, we decided to take a leisurely walk in the morning to North Head peninsula, part of Sydney Harbour National Park.

North Head quarantine station or Q, was operational from 1832 to 1984. It was here that ship-borne immigrants were screened and quarantined if their vessel was suspected of carrying disease. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, it now all feels a little closer to home, but the site offers a unique perspective on the harbour and its history, plus bucolic beauty to lighten the mood.

These days the buildings have been transformed into holiday accommodation along with a beach restaurant and cafe, but there are walking tours of the grounds and information boards about the site’s history.

It’s a surprisingly interesting place to wander around and so close to the centre of Manly with wonderful views out back to the City in the foreground.

Having previously visited the beach by boat, it was a pleasure to walk along the sandy shore which despite its stunning location wasn’t too busy, with a sprinkling of people who had arrived by boat or where staying at Q.

After dipping our feet in the sea, we found a great spot on the pier close to one of the cafes and treated ourselves to a cool beer and banana bread and took in the views.

After an enjoyable break, we trekked back up the former site of a vernacular, now a 100 steps and started our walk on to Collins Flat Beach.

Tucked away on the harbour side of Manly, Collins Flat Beach is an idyllic spot that offers sprawling skyline views and a ton of privacy. It’s accessible only via water or walking trails, and is the kind of place that prompts Instagram posts. It is serene. The water is calm and shallow, and the beach is quiet most of the time.

From there we moved on past Little Manly beach, situated on the northern shore within Little Manly Cove, which is separated from the larger Manly Cove by Manly Point.

After all that nature and exercise, this evening was about dressing up for our early Xmas dinner at The Manly Club, where we had a table of sixteen to start the celebrations for the festive season.

We had a really fun night catching up with friends who we hadn’t seen since leaving Sydney on the 9th January. So good to see Jamie, Neil, Kate, Gary, Tracy & Caroline + kids – big thanks to T&C for organising the evening and for dressing the table and organising the secret santa gifting!

One person was particularly pleased with her secret Santa present – a red handbag to match Michelle’s dress!

We had a really fun evening and big thanks goes out to the Manly Club and our fabulous Manly friends for making us feel so welcome.

We are already looking forward to tomorrow when we are round to Neil and Katie’s for the next festive evening of merriment and feasting!