Australia
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Manly to Spit Street Bridge Walk
Take the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly in the morning. Enjoy a bit of the beach and some lunch in the town and get yourself ready for a hike in a National Park. The Manly to Spit Street Bridge walk starts out fairly easy on a paved pathway exiting Manly but soon turns into a bit of a rough trail that seems to go on forever. The climb up to Grotto Point, where this photo was taken, is rather long and steep. From the ferry, I could tell it would be quite the climb but it seems to condense all the upward and downward parts into a very short distance. This opening provided an interesting view of Dobroyd head where some very strong waves were crashing against the rocks. The Manly ferry sneaks by this point every half-an-hour. The walk features some aboriginal rock carvings. I had been thinking I missed them as they occur well into the second half of the hike - but the detour to see them is well marked. It was definately a let down after seeing rock art in the Kimberley and Kakadu the previous weeks. I hiked this route at high tide - and there is one point just after leaving Manly where the usual track is covered in water. There was a short bit of scrambling to stay dry. Going the opposite direction, I noticed there was a detour sign directing hikers to street level but I didn't see such a sign going towards Spit Street Bridge - and I definately looked. The hike is advertised as 3-4 hours and I completed closer to 3 including a couple stops to set up my tripod. It is interesting walking through a wilderness setting in one of the world's largest cities. It's somewhat similar to a walk through Edmonton's North Saskatchewan River Valley with the steep climbs and difficult terrain. Instead of the river, you get the occassional view of cliffs and Sydney Harbour. Upon arrival to the bridge, get your Opal Card ready and take the bus back into the central business district. Upon arrival to the bridge, get your Opal Card ready and take the bus back into the central business district. Upon arrival to the bridge, get your Opal Card ready and take the bus back into the central business district.
australiadobroyd headgrotto pointlong exposuremanlymanly to spit street bridgenational parknew south walesrockssydneysydney harboursydney harbour national parkwaves
