Day: October 27, 2025

I was tossing up yesterday whether I’d finish my visit to Sydney by going to either Manly on the ferry to the north or Bondi Beach to the south because I didn’t think that I could do both. However, when I checked Waze I found that Bondi is only a relatively short drive from my hotel so I decided to take an Uber this morning to Wharf 3 of the Circular Quay next to the Opera House from where the ferry departs for Manly, make a brief visit there and return in time to drive down to Bondi in the afternoon.

Everything went pretty smoothly and as usual I shot plenty of video from which I lift my still shots. However, on this occasion I’m going to be pretty sparing with my posting and let the images speak for themselves. The reason is that because almost all the hotels I’ve stayed in only provide low tables and where I’ve been bending my head working my laptop so much I’ve got the same very painful neck again that I suffered from just before I left home to come to Australia.

The contrast between Manly and Bondi was very stark. Manly was genteel, clean and very much organised as a family resort. Bondi, on the other hand, was none of those things. I don’t know what I expected of Bondi, maybe I was over-expecting as it’s an iconic location with an international reputation. After the impressive initial view I had after parking the car of the sweeping beach framed by trees I was somewhat disappointed with what I found when I got closer.

It wasn’t a help that the wind was blowing a hooley and then some and even increased in velocity while I was there. As one of my photographs shows, even the Bondi seagull squadron was grounded on the beach all with their beaks facing into the wind and the wind was blowing the sand with such force that it was stinging my legs.

I’m glad I visited Bondi but I don’t have the urge to go back. In contrast the ferry ride to Manly and the views afforded there and back of Sydney, the bay, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge alone made the trip worthwhile without the pleasant impression left by the place itself.

So that’s it for me for Sydney. Tomorrow morning I leave for a something over 5 hour drive to Wagga Wagga on my way back south.