A Manly Excursion
I realized this morning, with a shock, that I only have one more week in Sydney so I decided to cross off another of my things to do by taking the ferry (F1) from Circular Quay to Manly, so I could have a view of the Pacific Ocean. The most fun was on the way back, when a yacht race was under way in Sydney Harbour. Lots of small boats had come out to get a good view, many of them right in the ferry path. An officer of the Harbour Police on a jet ski was buzzing around politely inviting the offenders to get out of the way. At one point a quite large boat came right across our bow and the captain of the ferry had to sound the alarm. No harm was done, but that clown could have caused a serious accident.
Anyway, there are lots of Manly things in Manly: a Manly Wharf, Manly Beach, a Manly Bank, Manly Pharmacy and, as you can see in one picture, Manly Paradise; there’s even, as pointed out to me by Richard Easther, Manly Astrophysics. I only stayed long enough to have a Manly beer and some Manly Fish & Chips before heading back to Circular Quay.
Here are some snaps.
Anyway, here are a few little videos from my instagram page:
In the Dark 
February 25, 2024 at 9:15 am
Named Manly for the demeanour of the Aborigines first encountered there by the Brits.
I was down by Manly Pier
Drinking tubes of ice-cold beer
With a bucketful of prawns upon my knee…
February 25, 2024 at 10:27 pm
The first time I went to Manly, I was changing wrapped in a a towel after having gone into the sea and noticed a woman on the promenade photographing me through a large telephoto lens.
On a different occasion, I was in the sea swimming between in the safe zone between flags, when a klaxon sounded at the top of the beach and life guards started running down towards the sea. Instantly I found myself being pulled out to sea by a rip current. I swam diagonally towards the shore and got out of the water while the life guards rescued some people in difficulty. That was an unexpected occurrence.
February 25, 2024 at 10:42 pm
Yesterday, the lifeguards were constantly giving out warnings about dangerous currents, though I didn’t see anyone actually in trouble.
February 25, 2024 at 11:07 pm
That is concerning. Tragedies can occur given the unpredictable currents on the ocean beaches.
February 25, 2024 at 10:54 pm
Do you think the photographer was impressed by your Manly physique.
February 25, 2024 at 11:08 pm
I don’t think anyone was impressed by my Manly physique, and certainly never by my manly physique.