Magnetic Island - Perfection Day Two

Another Day much the same. Walking and collecting shells. A well earned Aussie lunch on the beach. Followed by some tubing...but this time with a little more excitement!

 The boat skipper knew the kids had been the previous day and that they were confident enough to go a little more crazy...which they did...to the point of losing one of them!

After dinner, we played three rounds of "The Band Aid Game"...

Another Gorgeous Sydney Day! - Boating on Pittwater

Another gorgeous winters day in Sydney. Today we are with Caitlin's best friends family for a relaxing day of boating on Pittwater. We set out from Church Point up past Lions Island and around. We stopped for lunch in a quiet bay, turned off the generator and just listened to the quiet of the surrounds.

Our host BBQing off the back of the boat!

                                                          Kevin makes himself comfy in the Skippers chair!
After a bit more boating, we stopped at another cove for afternoon tea...very civilised! After some skylarking, which the kids thoroughly enjoyed, we arrived back to shore just as the sun set...what a wonderful day! Thank you to our friends.

Nelson Bay - Port Stephens - Girl's Getaway

Neslon Bay is a small resort town, a short trip north from Sydney. A popular destination for tourists and families but this weekend, it is just "the girls".


Water activities include snorkelling, scuba diving, boating, parasailing, whale and dolphin watching, fishing and swimming. There are children's playgrounds, BBQ areas and even a dog friendly beach!


For the land people, there is golf, horse  riding and more.


For the foodies, there is plenty of award winning seafood and restaurants to chose from as well as some delicious wineries to visit.


OR...you could just sit in your room and watch Mad Men for three hours, lie by the pool, have a dip and then take in a movie at the local cinema as we did!


We stayed at The Mantra Aqua in a two bedroom apartment with full kitchen, dining and lounge, overlooking the pool. It was wonderful and I would definitely stay there again. 

I went for a little walk around the Marina and there was a lot going on. Tourists visiting, boats leaving for tours, Maritime patrolling, families barbecuing but somehow it was still very peaceful....a gorgeous and relaxing place.

Holy Mackerel, Is that a Whale?? Cruising Pittwater...

Our wonderful boating friends invited Caitie and I for another day of fun and excitement on the Sydney waterways. This time, we put in at Baywater, up the coast from Mona Vale. Quaint place that even has a little dog beach, good to know!

Guess we should have checked the weather report because it was pretty scary being out in the middle of the Pittwater with lightning and thunder crashing around us...I would not recommend it...however, I do like how we zoomed speedily north away from the storm!

We found a cove called Great Mackeral Beach where we tied to a buoy and swam to the beach. Later we checked and there are no shark nets here...eek! Next time we'll use the wharf.

Look who washed up on Mackeral Beach!

We explored this beach community (only accessible by ferry, boat or a 3km bush trail), and it was pretty quiet and not much happening so we hopped back into the boat and headed south toward The Basin.

At The Basin

The teenage girls got out here and during their exploration, came across a family of kangaroo wandering through the campground...too cute.


The Basin is part of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park which hosts this popular Campground, also only accessible by ferry, boat, mountain bike or hiking a 3km trail!

The rain persisted but we still got to zoom around and out to the heads, passed Lion Island where we were joined by either a pod of whales or a shiver of sharks. Given the number of shark attacks at this time, I would be given to believe it was the latter. Sadly, I didn't see them 'cause a huge swell rose up and I needed to stay seated! Next time...

Contemplating the Sharks, i think!

Things To Do In Sydney - Boating and Biscuiting

There is never a shortage of things to do in Sydney but when it is a glorious sunny Sydney day, there is nothing more spectacular than cruising down the waterways of one of the numerous National Parks. This day we were are at Ku-ring-gai National Park. This National Heritage listed park, a short drive north of Sydney, is 154 km²  (roughly 58 miles²  or a little smaller than Washington DC), much of which is only accessible by walking tracks or boating.


The park is a popular place for many favourite activities. There are 15km of Horse Riding trails and thousands of kilometres of Cycling trails as well as medium difficulty Mountain Bike tracks. Numerous Picnic and Barbequeing areas are scattered through the park for happy families, frolicking friends and romantic rendezvous.  


The sunken waterways of this magnificent park are probably one of it's most desirable assets for which you may Paddle Boat, Kayak,  Sail, or Motor Boat. We are the very lucky friends of a boat owner but there are also many organised tours if you are are so inclined, 





We put in at Apple Tree Bay

Apple Tree Bay

OK...this could be fun!

Our Skipper...Captain Visser!

It doesn't look far, but I tell you, even the big kids were hesitant!

It was time for Michelle to show us how it's done. She made it look easy but I guarantee you, it's not!!!!

We boated until the sun set which was one of the most glorious times I have spent in some time...