Another day in the sunshine of Manly.

Andy was up early keeping up his daily 10k running addiction.

After a walk and a coffee along Pittwater, we made our way to our favourite locals hangout, Shelly Beach to enjoy some sun bathing and swimming in the calm protected waters, followed by an early pizza lunch at the Boathouse.

Along the way to the beach we stopped off at Cabbage Tree Bay and a brief dip in the rock pool.

Today proved to be a hot affair and within a hour of reading and dozing, Andy was up and in the water cooling off with the rest of the sun worshippers.

We spent a good couple of hours of downtime at the beach in the knowledge that we won’t have many more opportunities before we return to reality back in the UK.

Returning to Manly centre, we dropped back in the rockpool and stopped to take one more photo along Marine Parade.

The afternoon was spent over at Manly Cove where we walked along Commonwealth Parade down to Delwood Beach and on to Fairlight Beach. These two small but perfectly formed sandy outcrops have the most incredible views out over the Bay, a vista that you can never get bored of.

After a day of beach and coastal walks, we stayed local and headed to The Espy for happy hour and looked out over Manly Cove Sheach.

We were joined after a short while by Caroline and we chatted over drinks about the excitement of seeing Charlie in the MJ Musical tomorrow at the Lyric Theatre.

It’s been another relaxing day in Manly and we have just three more days before we wave goodbye and our 15 month travel odyssey across Australia and Asia comes to a close. We don’t see this as the end of our adventure, just a new chapter with future travels to look forward to and most definitely a return to Australia.

Andy was back on his favourite ‘running track’ racing around Manly with all its fantastic beaches and parks.

Post the run we went for a walk down to Shelly Beach followed by coffee and cake at the boathouse.

We then took a wander down to Queenscliffe Beach where local surf clubs were battling it out in the NSW heats competing in kayaking, running and swimming.

We did a quick tour around the Corso and paid a visit to the Manly Longboard Co. store to check out the latest T-shirts and hoodies – there maybe one last purchase before we leave!

The route took us passed the wall of Manly quotes with some great one liners.

With the afternoon sunshine putting a smile back on our faces we returned to the main beach and relaxed with a book for an hour or so. After all that strenuous work, we retired to the nearly gelato cafe where we shared a strawberry and cream & white chocolate and coconut ice cream. We really have embraced the laidback lifestyle now we are back in Manly – going to enjoy while we can for the last few days of the trip.

Early evening we met up with Caroline and Charlie, who were returning from Sydney where Charlie was rehearsing for his part as Young Marlon in the MJ Musical. He’s doing so well and is loving the whole experience – he’s always been destined for the stage and this is only the start of his career that’s for sure.

It was great to catch up and hear how the production is going, particularly excited to be seeing his performance this Friday at the Lyric Theatre in Pyrmont.

Tomorrow is another day in the sunshine, followed by a planned walk up to North Head Sanctuary and then drinks in the evening with some of the Manly massive at The Espy.

We left Church Point early this morning in an effort to avoid the morning commute, but a 11 mile drive down to Manly still took over an hour.

Thankfully we were able to drop off our luggage at our final Airbnb stay and then drove on to the airport to drop off our hire car after 65 days driving the white goddess.

It was quite sad to hand her back after so long, almost got used to its constant bleeping whenever we got close to the centre reservation or another car!

It was then off to Mascot to get the train into Sydney CBD and spend a few hours revisiting a few of our favourite spots in and around Circular Quay, The Rocks, Opera House and the Botanical Gardens.

Today was an odd day weather wise, one minute it was warm and the sun threatened to appear, the next the rain came down and we were putting on our rain macs and taking cover.

Our first scenic stop was the old favourite Circular Quay and a pit stop at the Contemporary Art Museum. It brings back lots of memories, notably one NYE in 2016 when we waited almost 9hrs to catch the fireworks from the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

We couldn’t not take a photo of the Opera House, despite the weather being a little wet and cloudy making visibility limited.

After a wander around the historic Rocks area we headed to the Opera House passing a promotional poster for MJ the Musical, which we are going to watch this Friday. It’s going to be extra special as our godson Charlie is in the show and plays Marlon junior. It’s an amazing achievement and one that he is loving to be a part of – we are so very proud.

We carried on our jaunt around the coastline passing the opera house and then onto the botanical gardens where they were setting up a stage for Guys and Dolls. Sadly it doesn’t start until after we leave Sydney – gives us yet another reason to return in the future!

In an effort to keep up our exercise regime and get our 25,000 steps in for the day, we circled back to the Art Gallery of NSW. There was a number of new features and artefacts that really caught our eye.

After a hour or so of cultural deliberation, we walked on to the old Sydney Hospital, passing Hyde Park Barracks, The Mint Quarters (oldest building in central Sydney) and touched the nose of the boar statue which is supposed to bring good luck!

Carrying on to Hyde Park and the Sundial Fountain, close to St Mary’s Cathedral we marched on to QVB for some retail therapy of sorts….

As our legs started to tire, we made a short detour to Darling Harbour and the large redevelopment that is being carried out with new apartments being built in the hundreds.

We then crossed the Pyrmont Bridge across Darling Harbour, passing yet another promotional sign for the MJ Musical before making our way to the Manly ferry.

In better weather we would have been outside on the ferry taking photos and enjoying the views, but with the rain coming down and the waters a little more bouncy, we stayed safely inside and within 20mins we had made it back to Manly Wharf.

Having unpacked and got the last of our washing done, we headed out for a walk along Little Manly beach before meeting up with Caroline later in the evening for drinks at The Hold, a late night party bar, where we proved to be the oldest in attendance by a good 20-30yrs!!

It’s great to be back in Manly for the last 5 days of the tour and to reacquaint with our friends for a final few days down at the beach.

Tomorrow we plan a relaxing day beach side catching a few rays and stopping for coffee at a few of our favourite places.

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!

Andy completed his daily workout routine this morning with a 10km run around Hunter Valley, taking in a few wineries for the last time.

We then departed and drove 2hrs south making our way to Palm Beach on the Northern Beaches.

With the sunshine welcoming us back to Northern Sydney, we returned to The Joey on the Barrenjoey Track for a coffee and cake.

With a couple of hours to spare before booking into our hotel in Narrabean, we relaxed on Palm Beach and managed a dip in the ocean for the first time in a week.

After checking into our latest nights stay at the Narrabeen Sands Hotel, we made our way to the beach. It’s one of Australia’s iconic surfing and swimming beaches. Narrabeen is best known for the world famous North Narrabeen break.

Late afternoon we went for a long walk along the beach to The Collaroy for a beer and a bite to eat. It’s a laidback eatery serving freshly shucked oysters, wood-fired pizza with a beachside backdrop and sweeping northerly views across the peninsula.

We found a great spot on the first floor in The Collaroy, where we tucked into hot chips and embraced the beach vibe.

Tomorrow we plan to return to Palm Beach area for brunch at Barrenjoey House where Andy celebrated his 50th birthday. We then move to Church Point for our final nights stay before we move back down to Manly.

Another day, and when you’re staying in Hunter Valley it’s a chance to try another glass of vino ….

After Andy’s 10km run was completed and we’d had breakfast watching cyclone Alfred be downgraded to a tropical storm, we decided to go for a short hike up to Mount View and stop at Pokolbin Lookout.

We wandered along a hiking trail for a couple of km, before retiring to Hunter Valley Gardens.

Spanning 14 hectares, the Hunter Valley Gardens feature ten individually themed gardens connected by over 8 kilometers of walking paths. We covered off about 1km which took us to our coffee stop and then on to the lake for a spot of aqua golf!

Off to play golf together. Aqua style which was new to the both of us.

With out golf skills proving to be of limited value, we returned to what we do best and made our way to the Ivanhoe Winery where we were served by Sunderland talking Aussie who regaled us with his 1980’s style humour and parody.

With wine tasting only 10 dollars a head we tucked into 8 different wines and enjoyed the best wines and scenery all for less than the price of a coffee in the UK!

After drinks at the Ivanhoe winery we moved on to Brokenwood Wines and finally our favourite, Tamburlaine Organic Wines where wine tasting was complimentary and we indulged in over 8-9 wines thanks to the help and hospitality of a friendly young Australian who’d only been working at the winery for a few months.

It’s been a wonderful day trying countless wines together and sharing more happy moments that we will cherish forever. So good to have had the opportunity to revisit Hunter Valley after our last visit some 17yrs ago.

Tomorrow we move on again, ebbing ever closer to Sydney with a stop at Narrabeen for a couple of nights in the Northern Beaches.

Early morning start for Andy as he kept up his daily 10km commitment heading out into the hinterland around Goonoo Goonoo.

After an alfresco breakfast looking out across the Ben Halls Gap Nature Reserve, we then popped into the Glasshouse restaurant for a coffee to take a final look across this wonderful countryside. It was then time to start the 3hr drive further south to Pokolbin.

Since departing the cyclone affected North East NSW region a day or so ago, we’ve fortunately escaped the heavy rains and whilst it’s definitely cooler in the hinterland, it’s been dry with only light winds.

We arrived into the Hunter Valley and the Wine Country Drive early afternoon, and stopped first at Red Door Collective, a bespoke winery run by an English guy called Graham and his Aussie wife. They kindly provided a wine tasting experience taking us through a selection of 8 different wines including white, red, port, rose and sparkling….

After a successful session, we purchased a great bottle of Rose to remind us of our visit and then moved on to our next stop.

Our next drinks stop, conveniently opposite our apartment in Pokolbin Village, was at Hope Estate famed for its large scale music concerts hosting the likes of the Rolling Stones and Whitney Houston over the years.

Arriving late afternoon it was clear that the management were planning an early finish due to the unseasonal weather and the ongoing threat of heavy rainfall, so we grabbed a paddle of IPA’s and Pale Ales and got comfortable…!!

The Hope beers came with a punch warning…all being 5-8% ABV.

After the beer tasting at Hope Estate we returned for dinner and planned our movements for tomorrow, including a hike to Mount View and a wander around Hunter Valley Gardens, before we recommence our wine tasting at Brokenwood wines and Tamburlaine organic wines.

Post the wine tasting tomorrow, we move back to the coast and make our way to the Northern Beaches of Sydney for a couple of days in Narrabeen as a finish to our road trip.

With cyclone Alfred moving in and rain and winds building, we left early from Grafton and headed south on the hinterland road to Armidale.

After a couple of hours of light rain we stopped in Armidale for a midmorning brunch in the region known as New England.

From there we drove on a further 2 hours and thankfully the weather pattern improved with sunshine welcoming us on our arrival into Tamworth. This is the home of country music and the horse capital of Australia.

A 12m tall guitar symbolizing Tamworth’s status as Australian country music capital. The site included a visitor information centre and a gallery showcasing country music artefacts.

The Tamworth Music Festival is held annually in January, this is one of the largest country music events and throughout the city there are statues and memorabilia acknowledging those musicians that helped to establish the scene.

We did a walking tour passing countless country music statues scattered along the central streets.

After enjoying a lovely walk around the public park, we drove out to Goonoo Goonoo Station our home for the evening.

We are staying in a converted sheep shearing hut, in a wonderful former farm in the middle of the country, 20km from Tamworth.

The Kamilaroi people have lived in the Tamworth region for thousands of years and represent one of the largest Indigenous nations in Australia.

The language of the local First Australians is Gamilaraay who lived in many place names including ‘Goonoo Goonoo’ which means ‘running water’.

This place has all the bells and whistles of a luxe regional escape, partnered with a good dose of history as a restored working station from the 1830s. It’s swept its fair share of design awards too – an incredible place to stay and all for just £65 for the night.

This evening we went to the Glasshouse restaurant and bar and looked out over the wonderful hinterland views – then the sunset with a glass of wine in our hands!!

Tomorrow we are off to Hunter Valley for a couple of nights for some wine tasting and exploring….

We woke today to the increasing threat of cyclone Alfred with increasing heavy winds and rainfall. The cyclone is due to hit landfall on late Thursday and its impact is already being felt with long periods of heavy rain. After watching the local news and speaking to our hire car company we have taken the decision not to drop off in Brisbane given the severe weather conditions and instead will now be driving down to Sydney instead.

After making this decision, we decided to make the best of a lull in the rain and went into Grafton to do a heritage tour of the Victorian & Edwardian buildings that are scattered around this attractive city.

We started on Fitzroy Street passing the original Court House and then off to Sheriffs Office and finally Grafton Cathedral.

Later on in the day we found ourselves in the oldest part of the city on Alice Street & Fitzroy Street where we walked past some stunning houses, with so much character and charm.

By the time our walking tour was coming to an end the rain had returned and we were back in our Rains jackets.

Before the evening light disappeared we went for our last wander around Ulmarra and along Coldstream Road taking in the various galleries and antique stores.

Tomorrow we plan to start our journey south into the hinterland and have a 3.5hr drive to the market city of Tamworth, the epicentre of country music and the horse capital of Oz.

Our slow journey back up north continued today, as we left South West Rocks and made our way to Grafton and then the small community of Ulmarra.

The backdrop to our drive was the rising concern over Cyclone Alfred which is threatening to hit North NSW and Brisbane in the next day or so.

The shift in the weather has been pronounced with heavy rainfall and increasing winds arriving late morning as we drove along the Pacific Highway south of Coffs Harbour.

This was all at odds to the first few hours in the morning. Andy was up early completing his daily 10km run to the Old Gaol and back. Post breakfast we headed out to South West Rocks headland to watch the brave surfers tackle the larger waves and swell.

With the sun breaking through we went for a wander along the Main beach, then picked up a coffee and joined a group of locals for their morning ritual of watching the surf.

Leaving South West Rocks mid-morning, we were hopeful of seeing a little more sunshine, however this quickly evaporated and we hit strong rainfall once on the highway, with typhoon Alfred weather pattern starting to make its impact.

Our plan was to drive in land to Grafton in the hope of avoiding the worst of the coastal storms.

We’d heard good things about Grafton, the city is noted for its wide tree-lined streets and a historic centre filled with glorious Victorian and Edwardian architecture.

With the weather proving unpredictable we decided to visit the Grafton Regional Gallery where we spent an enjoyable hour.

By midafternoon we decided to drive on to our nights accommodation at a wonderful guest house in the heritage centre of Ulmarra.

Ulmarra’s name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning “Bend in the river’’.

Ulmarra delivers country swagger and quirky cool in equal measure. On the banks of the Clarence River, the town is filled with heritage buildings, many of which now house stores and galleries. 

We enjoyed a lovely dinner in the guesthouse before heading across the road for early evening drinks at the Ulmarra Hotel where we watched a wonderful red sunset and watched the bats flock in the trees as they prepared for their evening activities!

With the threat of cyclone Alfred increasing in North NSW, we have decided to spend a further day in the Grafton region and experience the heritage trail around the city and dinner in the Ulmarra Hotel tomorrow night.