We maxed out on being in the heart of the Northern Beaches, with a return to Palm Beach and Whale Beach.

First was a long walk on the Palm Beach coastline and a stop at 2108 Espresso, for coffee and cake before we visited the Palm Beach Rockpool.

Along the way, we came across a surfer sculpted in the rock.

Amusing we saw a sign that resonated with Michelle who regularly asks that we hold hands whenever we cross the road – it’s the school teacher in her!

Back in the centre of Palm Beach we saw the manicured Golf Club and then on to The Joey restaurant where Andy celebrated his 50th bday back in late 2019.

We then stopped off at Whale Beach, which proved to be really quiet and aside from the life guard, we had the place to ourselves.

Lunch was a great bacon and egg sandwich at Fernandos Peruvian Rotisserie on the way to Avalon Beach.

Late afternoon we checked into our latest hotel, the Pasadena in Church Point. It’s a lovely boutique affair, next to the marina and with great views over the Pitt Inlet.

After relaxing at the hotel, we went for a wander down to Gibsons Marina Bayview, before heading out early evening for dinner at Newport Arms.

It’s was great to return to the Newport, our third visit since returning to Sydney in December, and the first time since we celebrated Amelia’s 20th birthday on the 30th December. This time it was very quiet and we had no problem with getting a table with a view.

After an enjoyable dinner and drinks, we went for a walk at Bayview, on the peninsula opposite the pub where we got some great photos of the wonderful Old Mangrove Bay.

Tomorrow we return to Manly, our final stop for the last 5 days before we return to the UK after 15months overseas.

We are looking forward to catching up with Caroline and our other Manly friends for dinner & drinks, as well as a few last days at the beach in the sunshine before we wave goodbye to the southern hemisphere!