Ferries and Beaches oh my!

Ferries and Beaches oh my!

 

Saturday, October 25 marked our first day in Sydney.  We decided to go out and about the town to get an idea on the flavor of the city.  So we walked the neighborhood and then decided to go down to the waterfront.  While we were there we thought that since it was a really nice warm day that we would take the passenger ferry to Manly Beach.  The ferry terminal is set up much like a European train station/ subway.  There are berths for certain ferries to dock, unload and load passengers and then got on their way.  We used it quite a bit as their passenger ferries move thousands of people in and around the extensive waterways in and around Sydney and her suburbs.  There are two types of ferries, the very fast catamaran style and then the older but no less effective double bowed ferries.  These ones are slower but hold a much larger capacity.  They look like two bows were glued together, which makes them ideal of getting in and out of the berths.  The whole system is part of a much broader transportation system that is efficient, diverse and reliable.   Buses, trains, light rail, monorail, taxis, passenger ferries and subways all connect the city, her suburbs and the outlying bureaus completely.  And what’s more impressive is that the whole system is designed similarly and so the consistency makes for an ease of use of the whole system. 

 

We took the half hour trip over to Manly, which is like a key west in the middle of a major city.  A nice little beach community tucked away.  The long concrete boardwalk, endless beach, with volleyball and surfing everywhere was amazing.  People were so laid back. We ate dinner at a German restaurant right on the harbor side.  Then we walked four blocks through a promenade (like a high street) where there were all manners of shops to browse, to get to the beach I mentioned above.  That side is the ocean side and where the great beaches and best surfing is.  It is definitely a beach culture.  It was busy but no overwhelming like Waikiki.  It seems as though the whole city was planned to do crowd control and movement for intense numbers of people so nothing ever seems too crowded.

 

After a few hours exploring Manly we took the boat back to the harbor (Darling Harbor) closest to our hotel.  We relaxed until a little later and then went to a Spanish Tapas restaurant.  After that we decided to check out the night life and had a really nice time.  Australians are so friendly, well-mannered and polite.  I think we have all fell in love with this country.  It is just so laid back but bustling at the same time.