Parents Day 19

Tuesday

Taking our time, we hopped buses into the City and rode the ferry into Manly, across the Harbour. Arriving around lunchtime, we walked down the Curso, which runs south to north and belts off the Manly peninsula: the ferries dock at the south side, Manly Beach runs along the north side, North Sydney resides to the west and to the east, little forest reserves and historical forts and the old buildings of Manly stretch toward the open ocean. We dined in one of the many little pavilions along the Curso—nothing to write home about—and then walked up around the headland. Mom had marked a certain 3-hour historic walk in her tour book, and we started exploring the route, lizards, seabirds, clifftop views, beaches, bandicoot-crossing signs. Adventuring on a trail into the wilderness turned out to be a bad idea, as Dad hit his head on a protruding branch and swore violently in the face of a shocked French tourist. So Dad went back to the Curso, and Mom and I continued along the charted route, starting at the old cathedral which is now a School of International Hospitality, and continuing into the forest.

Frank and Alice drove me to this forest, on my first day in Sydney, and Frank and I saw whales, out at sea.

Mom and I didn’t see any whales, but we did find a sign that said that we were now entering a protected area for Little Penguins. We didn’t see any Little Penguins either. But we did follow the trails through dense jungle, turned a corner, descended a slope and emerged into a tiny cove called Collin’s Bay. There were no more than ten people scattered across the perfect sand of the perfectly calm, tiny bay, which was edged by cliffs and a freshwater waterfall. Mom and I looked at each other and looked at our watches and changed into our swimsuits and hit the water.

Changing into our swimsuits probably wasn’t necessary, as probably thirty percent of the patrons were wearing less-than-sufficient swimwear, but we decided, as Americans, to set a good example. Mom took photos of me swimming, but she wouldn’t come in past her knees due to the cold (we were spoiled by the warm waters of Cairns). Cool and refreshed, we returned to Manly, met Dad, and took the ferry home.